All Smashed Up
by xboxfanboy73
Summary: After the Battle Royale tournament ends, the All Stars have nowhere else to go. Master Hand offers support until they can get back on their feet, but how will the All Stars and Smashers get along while sharing the same world?
1. Prologue

**[Update: 10-29-20] I went back and revised each chapter after getting some much appreciated criticism. Things should be less wordy/flow better and I cut out some cringy dialogue that I felt just wasn't funny or necessary. I hope you guys like the edits I made! And part 2 to World Tour should be up by the end of this year. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Polygon Man's POV

Never in a million years would I have imagined that my brethren and I would be in the predicament that we are in now... A laughing stock among the community that we swore domination over. The PlayStation All Stars are who we are; Kings and queens of the greatest gaming brand of all time. And yet, we have been forced to lick the boots of our competitor ever since our attempt to beat them at their own game.

It has been eight years since I started the project with a solid foundation. My plan was to borrow their formula, and do it _better_. Nintendo and their irritating Smash Brothers competition would be taken care of for good. But once I announced my plan to the world, something unexpected happened. The world turned against us. People seemed to have forgotten the love they had for us, and branded us as imposters, copycats, cowards, wannabees, losers, rejects, and worst of all… _failures_. The PlayStation brand and everything we had accomplished as individuals, was looked at as a _joke_ compared to our rivals.

Despite the backlash, I proceeded to fund the Battle Royale tournament in faith of a miracle. That was all we could hope for at that point. But like many lessons in life, one must eventually learn that miracles tend to not manifest when it is needed the most. Instead, it leaves the desirer cold and gray, and that is what we were for so long. Believe me, I tried to make my adored creation endure, even when ticket sales were no longer profitable. I kept the tournament going for years, in support of the few noble souls that were loyal to my brand. However, the final nail in the coffin was when the fifth season of the Smash Brothers tournament was announced by Master Hand. It was dubbed "Ultimate," a term which I can only assume was used to describe Master Hand's diligence for unity and harmony. Indeed, his beloved new project brought together an unfathomable amount of beings from vastly unique worlds, quickly becoming the largest tournament ever known to man. For us, that cursed word "Ultimate" was a synonym for "defeat."

After that, there was nothing but dead silence in my stadiums that used to have fans. No energy left in my warriors that used to have _passion_ for what they did. And perhaps the most devastating feat: Not a single dime was made in the following year after Smash Brothers Ultimate was announced. We collectively agreed that the night of December 7, 2018, was the night that we had been dismissed from hope. Though… perhaps one could argue that defeat was bestowed upon us the moment I made Battle Royale known to the world.

In the year of 2019, I filed for bankruptcy and the Battle Royale tournament had officially closed its doors. I had no funds to support the palace that my fighters used as an abode. No funds to support the stages or PlayStation landmarks that once possessed life within them. Our world… the world of PlayStation, had been rung out like a wet towel. My warriors had begun talk of going their separate ways, back to their own worlds. Though I refuse to tell any of them out of pride, my greatest fear was not losing what I had created. My greatest fear was losing what I had become apart of. These beings that I previously harbored jealousy for, had become the family that I never had. I _refused _to let them walk away. So I performed the only selfless act that I ever did in my entire existence… I had a meeting with Master Hand.

I talked to the overseer of the very organization that I hated more than what the mind could comprehend. ...And I asked him for support. I forced myself to beg from the hand that I once tried to chop off. I did it for the sake of my family.

* * *

Master Hand's POV

Was I surprised when Polygon Man asked for my help? Well, no. Why would I be? What emotion _should_ I have? Should I be joyful that my long time nemesis has surrendered himself? Or should I have sympathy for him and his pupils, knowing that they have nowhere else to go? It all depends on how I choose to approach the subject. I wish I could have gave Polygon Man my advice before he launched Battle Royale.

See, Super Smash Brothers is much more sophisticated than what that man believed. He thought that if he simply used a copy and paste method for his own tournament, then that would garner him the success that we have worked so hard for. _That_ is where he made his mistake. He forgot one crucial ingredient to my recipe. Until he can figure out what that ingredient is, he will never share in the success that my competition has had for years and years to come. No one will for that matter.

Do not think of what I have done as treacherous or even prideful. I've decided to help my rival so that he may see what separates us as deities; I am motivated by the pursuit of greatness, while Polygon Man is motivated by the pursuit of dominance. To some, the two words may seem identical, and they are to an extent, except for one thing that makes them different enough. I hope that by the time Polygon Man and his children have composed themselves, he will be able to decipher what that difference is. It is the key to future success.

Of course, I could've denied his request, and let him and what he had done fade into obscurity… but I see a glimmer of light in his being. While he and his children are visitors to my world, I hope that light decides to shine forth from within him. For anyone, like Polygon Man, who I see a potential future in, no matter what ill feelings they may harbor, I am always willing to lend a hand.

* * *

**I'm just a guy that wants to see more Smash Bros and All Stars crossovers. There hasn't been one in a while, so I'm deciding to do my own. Not much of a specific plot to the story, It'll probably be comprised of one-shot type chapters. I'm making it up as I go along. This is just the into, so things will kick off in the next. Hope y'all enjoy it!**


	2. Week 1: Welcome to Nintendo

"I don't think I'm the guy you're looking for."

"Oh, but of _course_ you are Ratchet! You show the courage and dedication that the others just don't seem to have these days."

Ratchet drug out a groan from the back of his throat. Why was he always the one to have things constantly put on his furry shoulders? In this case, the weight of an entire brand image on his furry shoulders. Polygon Man told him about his agreement with Master Hand to let the All Stars stay in the Smash universe until they can get on their feet again. He desperately wanted Ratchet to be the ringleader for the group while he stayed behind the scenes to figure out how to breathe life back into the Battle Royale tournament.

"Why don't you get Kratos? He pretty much _always_ has the kinda energy you're looking for. Besides, he was the original mascot for Battle Royale."

"Hmm, you're exactly correct, which is the reason why I _don't_ want him representing us to the Smashers. I want us to make temporary allies, not temporary enemies." Polygon Man was right. Kratos would probably just end up trying to yank everyone's soul out of their body.

Ratchet threw his hands up to the air in defeat, knowing that there was no squirming his way out of this one. "Fine, I'll do it. Just don't expect anything amazing out of me. I'm just going to show up to handle business, and that's it."

"That is all I ask of you, my son. Together, you and I will turn our brand around, and we may even make some new fans from Nintendo's side. We will be successful. I can feel it in my core."

Ratchet rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's what you said when Battle Royale first started. Look where we are now."

"BAH! Silence! I will go alert the others so they can begin preparations for the trip."

* * *

One Week Later

After a long eight hour flight, the All Stars finally entered the Metro Kingdom, and they were greeted by a stunning panorama of the bustling land. It was a lovely cityscape that grew more surreal with every second the plane descended into New Donk's vicinity. Even though it was all a concrete jungle, so much personality burst forth from the streets, skyscrapers, and even the clouds that reflected the morning sun.

From the rooftops, citizens watched the flying hunk of metal make its way down to the New Donk Airport. The landing was smooth, and everyone was eager to get out and stretch their legs, but before anyone did so, Ratchet rushed to the front to grab their attention.

"Alright everybody. Before we hop off the plane, I just wanna remind all of us about our goal here. Super Smash Bros. is being awfully nice for letting us stay with them, so we should have the right attitude when introducing ourselves. We should-"

"Why should _WE_ have to bow the knee to _THEM_," Kratos interrupted. "After all, they are inferior to us in every way one could fathom."

"See, Kratos, that's the kinda attitude I'm talking about. We can't just waltz up in their territory thinking we're better than them!"

"Even though it _is_ true," Radec chimed in.

Ratchet facepalmed. "Even if you _think_ it's true, we've got to treat them like our equals."

"I'm sorry. _Who_ suddenly put you in charge over all of us," Sly asked with a hand raised as if he were in a classroom.

"It's not that I'm in charge or anything. It's just that Polygon Man saw me as the best spokesperson for PlayStation."

Everyone looked at each other for a second, then burst out laughing in Ratchet's face.

Sly wiped a tear from his eye, and held his abdomen that hurt from laughing so hard. "Oh boy. It's gonna be a looooong vacation."

Ratchet gritted his teeth as he watched everyone leave the plane, completely ignoring whatever he had to say. "HEY! G-guys! I'm not done talking to you yet! Oh forget it!" He huffed and jumped out of the plane and onto New Donk City soil. He felt a hand rest on his furry head, and looked up to see Drake smiling at him.

"Take it easy on yourself, kiddo. You never wanna let them see you buckle. That's one of the keys to leadership. You wanna soda?"

It felt good to know that at least not _everyone_ thought he was a complete joke. Ratchet nodded and accepted the advice, as well as the drink. "Sure, and thanks."

Drake tossed him the Sprite, which Ratchet caught in mid-air. "You enjoy that. It's cranberry flavor." The treasure hunter then began heading out toward the airport interior like everyone else.

The All Stars were immediately met by news reporters, a few celebrities, and even Mayor Pauline herself. She was in her usual flamboyant red dress, and introduced herself to the nearest All Star, who was Radec. "Welcome to New Donk City, the city that never leaps! We are pleased to have each and every one of you as visitors to the world of Smash!"

Drake playfully pushed Radec out of the way and took it upon himself to introduce the visitors, as well as flirt with the mayor while the opportunity was there.

"Nice to meet you, darling, my name's Nathan. Nathan Drake. But you can call me _whatever_ you'd like…" He took her left hand and gently placed a swift kiss upon it, earning a slight blush which she tried to conceal. He then proceeded to introduce the rest of the All Stars that hadn't already wandered off to other places in the vicinity. She nodded at everyone of the warriors with her famous smile. "...And last but not least, we have this guy over here… uh… what's your name again?"

"You forgot? Just ask your mom. She should remember after last night," Dante replied, obviously not in the mood for Drake's jokes.

"Whoa-hoaaa! Sounds like somebody's soiled their diapers. Do we have to put you back in timeout baby boy?"

Dante rolled his eyes and moved along with his luggage, unamused by the comical treasure hunter, and desperate for some rest and relaxation. "Where's your nearest bar," The demon hunter asked a random airline worker.

"Right this way sir. I'll give you a map that you can use to navigate around New Donk City. It's quite the place to be!"

Meanwhile, Ratchet made his way over to Mayor Pauline to personally introduce himself while the others continued to trek into the airport lobby. "Hi, I'm Ratchet, the spokesperson for PlayStation All Stars. This is my pal, Clank."

"It is an honor to meet you, Mayor Pauline." Clank greeted.

"No, It is an honor to meet _you_ Agent Clank!"

"WHAT?!" Ratchet had to do a double-take. He hadn't heard that name in forever, and with it came some bad memories he'd rather forget. "There hasn't been a new episode of that show in YEARS! You still remember it?!"

"Why, of _course_ I do! I'm a huge fan! It's so hard to find good content on television these days, so I just find myself watching the reruns. And by the way, I just _adore_ your performance as Jeeves, Ratchet. You pull off the whole 'valet driver' thing so well!" Pauline meant well, but Ratchet died a little inside when he realized that people would still only remember him as a nobody, instead of the things he actually accomplished, such as saving the galaxy multiple times. For some reason, people seemed to forget that. Ratchet opened his mouth to speak again, but was drowned out by the conversation that his companion and the mayor were having about the show.

He decided to leave and meet everyone else in the airport lobby, figuring that even his best friend had already forgotten about him in that moment. In the lobby, Ratchet found more reporters, a crowd of fans, and even a DJ performing in celebration of their arrival. Banners that displayed "Welcome PlayStation," were hung up on the walls, and balloons that were comically modeled after each All Star were floating around the room. A Zeus themed balloon bumped into the same immortal it was modeled after, who was standing towards the middle of the lobby anticipating people to gawk at him. Zeus took a moment to study the quality of the object, as the wind smothered the balloon across his upper body. _"Such poor craftsmanship. I cannot tell if this is intended to be blasphemy or worship."_

"Hey Ratchet! Ratchet!" Some random dude hollered at him from across the room. "I love you man! Can I get you to autograph my toolbox?!"

As the Lombax began making his way over to the fan, a sharp flash of white temporary blinded him. Irritated, Ratchet rubbed his eyes and turned his frustration toward the reporter that took the picture. "Would ya mind giving me a little heads up next time?"

The reporter ignored his question and proceeded to annoy him. "Ratchet, how do you think you and the All Stars will interact with members from the Smash Tournament?" Ratchet's shoulders sunk while he reminded himself of what Polygon Man expected out of him. He cleared his throat and began to paint as good of a picture as he could of his fellow members.

Across the lobby, PaRappa could barely contain his enthusiasm for the entire scene right now. The music was bumpin', hips were hoppin', and he was so glad to feel welcome in a whole new world of adventure. "WOW! These cats sure know how to throw a party! Let's kick it!" PaRappa started breakdancing smack in the middle of the lobby, instantly gaining the attention of everyone nearby.

The DJ saw this as an opportunity to turn the music all the way up to full volume; letting the bass from the 4/4 beat boom throughout the entirety of the airport. All the bystanders gathered in the middle, and joined PaRappa in hand wavin' and booty shakin'.

Isaac Clarke stood against the wall in the corner of the crowded room, not necessarily wanting to "shake what his momma gave him" like everyone else. He was a little more reserved than the other All Stars. However, he still enjoyed the sight of everyone enjoying themselves. But something about the scene threw him off, and it didn't take him long to figure out what was wrong. Mayor Pauline and many others were waiting at the airport to welcome them, but there were no Smashers to greet them. Isaac wasn't naive. He knew that they wouldn't be totally welcome to their rivals' world. He just didn't think that it would be to the point where absolutely nobody would bother to show up. He turned his focus toward Raiden, who had been confronted by a fan. Raiden was quiet. Quieter than what he would normally be. And Isaac knew exactly the reason why, but wouldn't dare approach the blade-wielding soldier about it. At least not for now.

After about another ten minutes of celebration, Mayor Pauline shattered the attention of everyone and calmed the scene down when she cleared her throat. All eyes were on her as she made an announcement.

"Attention all All Stars. It pleases me to once again clarify how grateful we are to have you as visitors to the Smash World. I ask that you enjoy yourselves and prepare for the meet and greet at Smash Mansion tonight. Most of the Super Smash Bros. veterans will be there to welcome you and show you the ropes. I also would like to thank the airport staff, as well as everyone else that showed up to make this a wonderful first day for our guests. Thank all of you." Pauline smiled, gave one last nod, and stepped away from the center.

"God, what a woman," exhaled Drake, who couldn't help but to explore her body as she walked out of the lobby. He elbowed Sweet Tooth who was standing next to him, studying all the abundant types of candy shops that they had in the Metro Kingdom. "Hey, Sweet Pea, got any magic tricks you can teach me to woo her over with?"

Sweet Tooth remained looking at his brochure as he responded. "The tricks I know wouldn't flatter her. Instead, they would make her regret ever having the physical capability of experiencing pain."

Drake winced. "Guess I forgot who I was talking to."

"You never know, buddy. Some women are into that kinda stuff."

"Ha! Yeah Sweetie, I don't think she's _that_ type of broad. I'm gonna go find a place to freshen up." Drake patted the clown on the back, and began heading out to begin his first strides in New Donk.

* * *

Dante downed the last swig of alcohol while he studied a brochure that showcased all the major locations in the Smash universe. The airline worker made good on his word, and took the demon hunter to a rather nice bar that was just outside of the airport. While he indulged in the sweet beverage, Dante took advantage of the couple of hours he had before he would have to go to the meet and greet, and studied up on the world that he and his coworkers found themselves in. His focus, however, was cut off when a familiar figure sat in a chair next to him.

"What would you like, sir," the bartender asked the new customer.

"I'll take whatever this gentleman next to me is having."

Dante chuckled. "You sure you can handle my kinda taste, Emmett?" He took his bottle and faced the label towards Emmett, which had an unsettling depiction of snakes crawling out of a man's throat.

"Hmph. Boy, that ain't nothing compared to what we had in White Sands."

"So, care to explain why you're stalking me?"

"Stalking? Man, you think you're the only one who needed a drink after being stuck on that damn plane for eight hours with DAXTER of all people?"

Dante couldn't help but laugh at the thought. "I thought for sure Radec was gonna shoot him after he started singing ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall."

"Ha! ...Well, I'm curious to see how this plan of Polygon Man's is gonna work out."

Dante groaned, thinking about what their leader dragged them into. "Pfft. I saw something like this coming years ago after Battle Royale first started. Polygon Man just doesn't want to admit defeat. I'm just along for the ride."

"Wouldn't you say he admitted defeat since he asked Master Hand for help?"

The demon hunter paused and thought for a second. That giant, purple, floating head was the most prideful being he had ever met, and to think that he actually _asked_ his bitter rival for a pick-me-up was mind boggling. Dante knew that Polygon Man had something up his sleev- wait. He doesn't have arms. Something up his _ears_ maybe? Regardless, he had some sort of plan.

"Nah, because he's still gonna try and flip it in his favor somehow," Dante replied. "If it works, cool. If it doesn't work, that's cool too. I don't really care."

"Well, frankly, I'm confident that this will be a good experience for _all_ of us."

The bartender came with a new round of fresh drinks for both All Stars. Emmett raised his bottle towards Dante. "To new beginnings."

Dante nodded. "To new beginnings."

The two clinked their glasses and began putting in work on their new drinks. Emmett immediately started coughing from the liquor, which earned a humorous look from Dante.

Emmett raised his finger before his fellow fighter could even say anything. "Don't you even start," he choked out.

"Start? Heh, I've already finished it."

* * *

Later that evening, the All Stars met with Polygon Man to get settled into where they will be staying, which is the Donktastic Manor; the latest and greatest grand hotel in New Donk City. As everyone made their way into the hotel, they were greeted by Dr. Wright, who was assigned by Mayor Pauline to guide the All Stars around the Metro Kingdom. Dr. Wright greeted everybody and passed out pamphlets that gave info on their room number, as well as who they would be bunking with.

Everyone was to share a room with at least one person. Dante with Kratos. Nariko with Kat. Evil Cole (Between Cole and Evil Cole, I decided to choose his evil version for this story, because I think writing him will be a little more interesting! So even when I write "Cole", please note that I'm referring to his evil version.) would have a room with Raiden, and the list went on. Some were happy with who they were bunked with, but not everyone felt the same way. ...And that's where Daxter comes in...

"PRINCESS PLUMP?!" Daxter screamed in terror when he saw his name next to hers. The ottsel leaped onto the princess' chest, and yelled in her face. "I AM _NOT_ FOOD! DO YOU HEAR ME?! DON'T EVEN _THINK_ ABOUT TRYING TO EAT ME FOR DINNER!"

Fat Princess turned her head away in pride. "Silly rat! I wouldn't eat you anyway! There's no meat on your bones!"

Now that Daxter's self esteem was knocked down a couple of notches, he hopped off her chest and back next to his "sidekick," Jak.

"Damn. She didn't have to go that far." He raised his arm and tried to flex, but was disappointed to see nothing but hanging flab where a bicep should be.

"Relax, Daxter," Jak comforted. "I'll be right next to your room."

"Fantastic," Daxter responded sarcastically. "At least you'll be able to hear the sound of her SWALLOWING ME WHOLE next door! Anyway, who are you shacked up with?"

"Sackboy…" Jak sighed. "How… _exciting_…," sarcasm oozed from his tone of voice, which was already monotone to begin with.

PaRappa took a look at his pamphlet, and his flat ears shot up in joy. "Gee whiz, Clank! We're gonna be roomates!"

Clank nodded his head and turned towards Ratchet. "Which room will you be staying in, Ratchet?"

"He will not be needing a hotel room," Polygon Man stated.

"Err… _why_ not?" Ratchet inquired, unsure of what that previous statement meant for him.

"Because I have secured a room for you in the Smash Mansion, courtesy of Master Hand," Polygon Man replied.

"WHAT?!" Evil Cole barked. "Why the hell does this talking furball get to stay in the Mansion, but _I_ don't?"

"Umm, it's _we_," Kat corrected, chastising Cole for his selfishness.

"The answer is very simple, one that you all should already know. It is because he is the SPOKESPERSON! I want him around the Smashers as much as possible so he can proactively build up our image."

"Polygon Man," Nariko spoke up. "_S__urely_ you have more faith in your people? As noble of a warrior that Ratchet is, do you sincerely believe that _he_ is the _only_ one that should have a voice for us?"

"Yes I do. I do not ask that you agree with me. I only ask that you trust me. Having more than one spokesperson would not prove helpful. Instead, it will be nothing but a mess! And to be clear, Nariko my dear daughter, I would not want you as an image for our brand. I have seen how you are when you get angry... and it is _indeed_ true that you are the female Kratos."

Everyone audibly gasped.

"DAMN! Now _you_ didn't have to go _that _far!" Daxter exclaimed.

Nariko, shocked at the statement, grimaced and turned to go to her room. She grabbed Kat's hand and led her along. "Come, sister. We are leaving."

Polygon Man looked dumbfounded at everyone. "I beg your pardon? It was a joke! I have been told I should joke more often."

"_Tooooo_ far," Kuro said while shaking his head.

"Here's the thing," Ratchet interrupted. "You never asked me if I wanted to stay in a mansion by myself with a buncha people I don't know."

"Be quiet! You surrendered your freedom of choice when you agreed to your role. Now everyone go get ready for the meet and greet. I have prepared formal clothing for each of you in your respective rooms. Let us make our first night a success, instead of a disaster. _Please_."

* * *

**If you wanna know the song the DJ played at the airport, look up "Le Knight Club - Boogie Shell." It's the best EDM track ever made. **


	3. Week 1: Meet and Greet

Commotion flooded the halls of Smash Mansion as everyone got ready for the visitors who would be arriving in just a couple of hours. The Smash community was pretty much split in half, with some of them being open to the idea of becoming buddies with the All Stars, and others still saw them as hardcore rivals. Isabelle was in the dining room, putting the finishing touches on the decorations that she happily volunteered to help out with.

"There! All done!"

She spun around on her heel when she heard the sound of boots approaching her, which belonged to Fox. She looked up and waved at the Arwing pilot, who was rather impressed by how things were turning out. Candles were positioned in just the right areas so that light was optimal. Yellow, blue, teal, and red, the colors of PlayStation, were the primary colors for her decorations. Balloons sailed freely through the air, giving the event a bit more of a party vibe. Finally, the colossal dining table, which spanned from one end of the dining hall to the other, was dressed with a sheet that had both Nintendo and PlayStation logos printed on it.

"You've got the place looking pretty neat, Isabelle," complimented Fox.

"Aww, thank you Fox. I put all my heart into making sure both brands are equally represented. I hope it makes them feel welcome."

Fox grunted and massaged his chin. "I still don't know how to feel about these guys. I mean, it wasn't too long ago that they were trying to put us out of business, y'know."

Peach overheard their conversation while she pulled some of her pastries out of the oven, and figured she'd join in. "I believe that we should welcome them with an open heart. Having a stinky attitude toward them won't get anybody anywhere."

Fox shook his head. "I dunno. Just got a bad feeling about it. That's all."

"Oh, you can be such a stick in the mud sometimes. Be a dear, and help me put out some more of these cupcakes."

* * *

Master Hand floated down the hallways, making sure everything was in tiptop shape for his guests. He found himself entering the gaming lounge, where he saw a few of the Smashers having some small talk among each other.

"Ah, I see you all are quite relaxed for this evening. Are you looking forward to meeting our guests?"

Not everyone was enthusiastic about the All Stars' arrival, and many of them made it clear by glaring at the floating glove. Dark Pit paused his Blinx session, and stood up to give his leader a piece of his mind.

"Master Hand, with all due respect… ARE YOU AN _IDIOT_?! Just what are you _thinking_ by letting those punks into our world?! Out of all the people that have disrespected Nintendo, you choose PlayStation… _fricking_ PLAYSTATION to come here? And now you just expect us to welcome them into _OUR_ home singing 'Kumbaya'?!"

"Don't you think it's a little ironic how you're playing an Xbox game, yet you're giving _him_ a lecture on brand loyalty?" Lucina countered.

"Shut up! I wasn't talking to you! Was I?!"

Master Hand let out a breath, and raised his voice. "Dark Pit and anyone else who feels the same way, I want you to listen closely to what I'm about to say. Times have changed. Understand? Both Nintendo and PlayStation have evolved far from what they used to be in the early years. Now, if it were ten years ago, I of course would not allow the All Stars to come to this world."

Meta Knight decided to speak up and defend Dark Pit's statement. "I think what Dark Pit is trying to say, is that there is too much bad blood between the both of us. After all the bad things they've said to us, and all the bad things we've said to them as well, it's just not right for everyone to suddenly show up together and pretend like none of that ever happened over the years."

"Listen, I _know_ that it will be difficult! My request is that you try. _Try_ to show respect to them and forgive them for the past. At the end of the day, _they_ lost. They are no longer a threat to any of you or Nintendo as a whole. Think about how that makes _them _feel; how difficult it is for them to need assistance from their own enemy. Yet, they still humble themselves and accept that same assistance. To me, that very action alone earns them my respect and my forgiveness."

Master Hand floated out of the room, effectively putting an end to the argument.

* * *

"Mhm hmm hm mhmm hm hmm hm mhmm. (Now tuck it into the loop and pull.)"

Spike looked in the mirror and paid attention to how his teacher put the finishing touches on his own bowtie. Sir Daniel had taken the liberty of showing the kid how to put on a tuxedo, since he never had to do so before. Spike did the best he could to copy what the skeleton next to him did. It kinda didn't help that Daniel's jaw was absent, but after years with the guy, the All Stars were able to make out most of what he would say. Well, more or less.

"Like that," Spike asked.

Sir Daniel scratched the non-existent hair on his head, and shrugged. "Hmm mhmm. (Close enough.)"

Though, It wasn't just Spike and Sir Daniel who were putting their best effort into how they looked. All of the All Stars were gearing up for the important event that would start in just a little while.

After an hour of iron steam, thick clouds of cologne, and shoe shine, the All Stars were lounging around in the hotel lobby, waiting for their mode of transportation to arrive. Little did they know that they would be arriving to the event in top-notch style. Kapp'n pulled up to the hotel, and instead of his infamous school bus, he was driving a limo that Master Hand had requested for his guests. He gave the horn a long honk.

"Guys, I bet that's our ride," Isaac said.

They walked outside and were surprised by the vehicle that was parked under the awning. It was a pink Cadillac Escalade stretch limo! With gullwing doors and everything!

"A limo," Evil Cole questioned, almost believing it was too good to be true. "We get to cruise in a friggin' limo?"

"O' course," Kapp'n confirmed. "Courtesy of that good ol' fella, Master Hand. Did ye think he'd make y'all _walk_ to the Mansion?"

"Nah. Just didn't think he'd be so generous. Why'd it have to be pink though?"

Ignoring Cole's complaint, Kapp'n urged everyone to load up. "Chop! Chop! Let's go! The meetin' starts soon and traffic ain't too kind this time of hour."

"Aww yeah," exclaimed PaRappa. "A limo is where it's at! Me first!"

"Wait, answer my question. Did the limo _have_ to be pink?"

"Hold on. We're not ready yet," piped up Raiden. "We're still missing two people."

"Who?!" Kratos barked. He was beginning to grow impatient, especially with that dang bowtie choking his neck. The poor guy wasn't used to squeezing that spartan bod into a tight suit. As everyone looked around, it only took a couple of seconds to figure out which of the All Stars was missing; Kat and Nariko.

Cole huffed out of frustration. "Women, am I right? I swear, Jesus will come back before those two are done in there."

He regretted those words, because not even a minute later, everyone fixed their attention on the double doors that flew open to reveal the two Queens of PlayStation shining like goddesses under the city lights. The second the two females made it to the end of the stairs, everyone's jaw was moping the floor. Compared to the bland, boring, and "been there, done that" tuxedos all the men were wearing, Nariko and Kat were in dresses personally picked by Polygon Man.

From head to toe, Nariko was seemingly drenched in scarlet, which was a color she pulled off flawlessly to the point where anyone could mistake her as a rising phoenix. Her silk dress felt buttery soft to the touch, and its color perfectly matched her signature hair, which was flat-ironed to compliment the flowing contours of her dress. An all red tiara replaced her default headpiece she would normally wear. It was a custom ornament made to resemble the ranged form of the Heavenly Sword, and it did an incredible job topping off Nariko's outfit. The only contrast provided was from her caramel skin that could be seen on her hands, upper arms and her left leg that would occasionally peep through an offset slit in the front of her dress.

The goal for Kat's outfit was to keep things simple, yet full of character. Her dress functioned as an extension of her standard outfit, but it did so in a way that was sure to turn heads all night long. The previous gold accents of her usual clothing were now replaced by authentic gold pieces that swept in and out the fabric like gentle waves. The shape of the dress was long and formfitting but not to the point where her mobility would be compromised. After all, getting around quickly was what she was known for. For the final touch, her hair was styled into a lace-braided bun that kept her look mature, yet not pretentious or anything like that. Polygon Man may have been a cheapskate most of the time, but he made sure his "children" were dressed to the nines for this big night.

"God _damn_!" It was too late when Dante realized he had said that out loud, earning piercing glares from the two angels.

"Mind your eyes, Dante, and you will not lose them," Nariko coldly replied.

After what seemed like forever, everyone gathered their bearings, and took their seats in the luxurious Cadillac, and Kapp'n began the trip to the Mansion as he pulled out from under the hotel awning.

"For real though, did it have to be pink?"

"SHUT UP ALREADY!"

* * *

A few horn honks here and a couple of f-bombs there, and the All Stars were just a few blocks from their destination. The Mansion was truly a sight to behold, and could be seen from miles afar. From the cascading gardens that surrounded it, to the sky lights that protruded from the roofs, the entire building was made up of an architectural style that was rivaled by nothing.

"Now remember, everyone. Let's all be on our best behavior. We wouldn't want to be an embarrassment for our precious figurehead. Isn't that right, Ratchet?"

Ratchet scowled at the raccoon. "You're not funny, Sly. You never have been. If you're so wound up with the way things turned out, go cry to Polygon Man. Not me."

"Oh, Ratchet, you are _such_ a drama queen. How many years have you known me? Because you should know for sure that I'm _not_ jealous of you, nor will I _ever_ be. Just a little concerned on how well you'll represent our brand to our soon-to-be friends. Gotta say...I'm not very confident."

Ratchet chuckled. "You see, funny thing is, I don't remember ever _asking_ you for your opinion, so why the hell should I care?"

"Children, _please_ stop your bickering," Nariko pleaded.

"Mama's right," Daxter concurred. "Keep that up and we're gonna need to put y'all in a marriage counseling class! Besides, we're almost to the shindig now," he mentioned while pointing out of the window toward the towering castle that was just around the corner. Kapp'n pulled the limo right next to the legendary steps that ascended up the Mansion doors. As everyone stepped out onto the gravel, they were taken aback by the beauty that serenaded them.

"How come we never got a crib like this back home," Emmett asked, captured by the tranquility of his surroundings.

"Polygon Man's pee-wee wallet would've never allowed it," Evil Cole grumbled out. He then turned to the Lombax, who was just as mesmerized as everyone else. "You lucky son of a bitch."

All attention turned toward Ratchet, and he could literally _feel_ the envy burning into him. Could they really be blamed though? Down inside, Ratchet was humble, and wished that all of his friends could stay with him in the Mansion. Kapp'n rolled the driver side window down, and peered out to say his final goodbyes.

"Till' next time, youngins! I gave Mario a whistle and told him y'all be waiting outside. He should be comin' to the door any minute now." He put the car in gear and drove away, leaving them to be soothed by the late night breeze.

Everyone made their way up the steps and to the patio, waiting patiently in the quiet until that silence was broken by the sound of faint muttering. They all turned to see Spike reading off of some flashcards.

"Boy?! What are you doing," Kratos asked, unnecessarily shouting like usual.

"J-Just rehearsing what I'm gonna say when I meet someone. I guess I'm a little shy about seeing all these new faces!" Spike forced a laugh as he nervously caressed his wild hair. Kratos reeled back and smacked the flashcards out of his hands.

"You have _NO_ reason for your soul to be consumed with fear, child! For it is one with the very spirit of PlayStation! You should hold your head high with pride!"

"Baldy's right guys," cheered Kuro. "Let's show em' how off the hook we are!"

At that very moment the Mansion doors opened to reveal Bowser, a towering beast that made Kuro think twice about his confidence. The black cat made a beeline for the nearest person to hide behind, whom was Ratchet; not exactly the strongest looking of the bunch.

"Uhh… trick or treat," Ratchet joked, not really sure what to make of the unexpected greeter.

Bowser shook his head and stepped to the side to make way for Mario, who gingerly greeted them with his trademark smile. "A-welcome! A-welcome! Come on in, everyone! It's-a great to have all of you as guests here tonight!"

The All Stars made their way inside, except for Ratchet, who stayed at the front door to meet the forerunner of Smash Bros. "Ah! So _you're_ the leader of the All Stars," Mario greeted.

"Well, no not really. Well... kinda, but just not... *sigh* It doesn't matter. Just think of me as Polygon Man's personal assistant."

Mario shook Ratchet's hand, patted him on the back, and eagerly urged him inside. "Please, Ratchet, come on in! We've a-got enough food to fill our bellies sky high!"

The plumber was more than pleased to welcome the All Stars to the mansion. Compared to others, he no longer saw them as rivals. He saw it as an opportunity to make some new friendships, and that was all that mattered to him. The next thing that Mario knew, he was bombarded by two cats clinging to his slacks.

"MARIO! MARIO," the anthropomorphic felines shouted in unison. "WE _LOVE_ YOU!" For Toro and Kuro, meeting gaming's biggest icon was a dream come true! "DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!"

It didn't take long for Mario to figure out what the two cats were begging for. Though a bit odd, he had gotten used to this request, since it was usually the first thing fans would ask for when meeting him. Mario cleared his throat, put his hands on his wait, and exclaimed, "It's-a me, Mario!"

"YAAAAAAAAY!"

Mario's poor ears were close to bleeding at this point.

Toro jumped up and grabbed his iconic red hat. "I've got his hat! I've got his hat," he celebrated while jumping up and down. A piece of history was right in his paws, and if Toro had it his way, he would never let go of that dang hat.

"H-Hey," Mario sounded slightly embarrassed. "You're a funny one aren't ya?!" He laughed as he chased the two fans around the front lobby. The beginning of what would be a legendary night for Nintendo and PlayStation was off to a decent start.

* * *

A few minutes into the event, and the atmosphere was a little tense despite what some were hoping for. Most members from both sides just weren't willing to acknowledge each other yet. The All Stars stayed to one side of the Mansion, making small talk with themselves. At the same time, the Smashers lingered on the opposite side, either helping with last minute adjustments, or just waiting to leave. To a lot of Smashers' disappointment, Master Hand made the event mandatory in order to encourage interaction. Deep down inside, he knew that if he didn't require everyone to attend, very few people would actually give a crap to show up. Near the cafe, Daisy found Little Sister wandering around with Sackboy secured in her arms. She began to greet the child, but nearly had a heart attack when Little Sister turned around to reveal her chilling yellow eyes. The young girl giggled, finding Daisy's reaction amusing.

"She's funny, Mr. Snuggles! I think she's seen the light!"

"Umm… h-honey, are you alright?"

"Hmmm, mhmm...um hmm, (She's fine... I think,)" a muffled voice said behind her. Daisy spun around but was just as frightened as she gazed at the skeletal face of Sir Daniel; his blatant missing jaw instantly stealing all of her attention. "Uh hm hmm hmm mhmm! Mhh uhmm hmm, mhmm! (I am Sir Daniel Fortesque! At your service, m'lady!)"

He knelt down in front of her and tilted his head in respect, which didn't really help the fact that the Princess had no clue what he just said.

_"Goodness. Are all these people freaks or what!?"_

* * *

Down in one of the more secluded hallways of the Mansion, Nariko carefully made her way out of the restroom, peeking around the door to make sure no one was around.

"Hmm. I can't stay here for too long."

Little did she know that her best friend, Kat, was watching her the entire time from the ceiling. Nariko closed the door, and began looking for somewhere quieter until she was startled by the gravity queen landing on the ground behind her. Nariko instinctively whipped around with her ginormous blade in hand ready to decapitate anyone who invaded her personal space. She was relieved to see it was none other than Kat laughing with Dusty in her arms.

"I can't believe you still fall for that!"

"I can't believe _you_ still aren't afraid of being accidentally beheaded."

The two women, being the few females in the All Star league, had gotten close to each other ever since Kat joined in the second season of Battle Royale. Their friendship had gotten deep enough to the point where they referred to themselves as sisters, and the only other person that ever got that close to Nariko was Kai. Though they don't share the same blood, they understand each other more than anyone else can, and possess similar fighting spirits that make them some of the best warriors under the PlayStation moniker. Kat's cheerful grin turned into a pout as she began to chastise Nariko for sneaking away.

"Now what are you doing all the way over here by yourself?" She pointed her finger at Nariko like a disappointed parent, playfully poking her on the tip of her nose.

"I was just-"

"You were trying to find a good spot to hide from everyone!" Kat finished that statement for her, fully aware of what her motives were.

Nariko sighed and facepalmed, knowing that she had been caught red-handed. "You _know_ I'm not too keen on these types of affairs."

"Oh come on, sis! There's a lot of cool people to meet out there, not to mention a bunch of cute boys too!" Kat wriggled her eyebrows as she playfully elbowed Nariko in the side, teasing her without shame. She knew that Nariko never really cared about all that romance crap, yet always bugged her to hook-up with somebody.

"You aren't giving me good reasons to think otherwise, you know." Nariko crossed her arms and reluctantly began walking back to the muffled sounds of the crowds, not bothering to put up more of a fight.

Kat locked her arm with Nariko's as they walked back into the main room where the majority of everyone was. "Think about it like this, okay? What if we meet our new best friend here?"

"Unlikely, I would say. 'Friends' are like wounds. The less of them one has, the more efficient the body will function."

Kat squinted her eyes and frowned. "Wait... what are you trying to say? _I'm_ your friend, so you think of _me_ as a pain?"

Nariko shook her head. "No, sister. Think carefully about my words."

Kat shrugged. "Ugh! See, you 'think' too much sometimes." The gravity queen looked around and noticed a group of four women standing near the chocolate fountain. You can't have a great party without one of those y'know!

"Over there!" Kat pointed to the small clique, which consisted of Ashley, Bayonetta, Byleth, and Tiki. "Let's go speak to them!" Before the redhead could even begin to argue, Kat grabbed Nariko's hand and led her along toward the group.

"A-Alua?!" Nariko protested, using Kat's real name to portray how adamant she was on staying to herself.

"Coooome oooon! It'll be okay!"

In the middle of talking, Byleth noticed the two women approaching and paused to offer them her attention. The other three did the same as Kat bowed out of respect and began an introduction.

"Hi! Please excuse us, but we just thought we'd come and say hello! You can call me Kat, and this is my partner, Dusty," Kat beamed as her thick and exotic accent sliced through the air.

Dusty materialized into a sitting position on top of Ashley's head and purred. "Hee hee hee! This kitty likes me, so that means you guys aren't so bad! My name is Ashley. Nice to meet ya!" The young witch reached her hand out to shake, and Kat gleefully returned the kind act.

Byleth stepped forward with her hand outstretched too, and introduced herself, as well as everyone else while she was at it. "Joy to meet you, Kat. I am Byleth. To my left is Tiki, and to my right is Bayonetta."

Bayonetta observed how quiet Nariko was and called her out. "There's no need to be shy, honey. What's _your_ name?"

"That's Nariko, my bestest best friend!"

"Your 'bestest best friend,' huh," Bayonetta repeated to herself, taken aback by the carefree and straightforward attitude that Kat possessed. The Umbra Witch wasn't used to people approaching her with such confidence, and she found herself genuinely amused by the happy-go-lucky nature of Kat.

"Uh-huh! She sure is! But she's also a big meanie, so don't make her mad!"

Nariko wasn't pleased with her sister's teasing and made that obvious by shooting a curse through her eyes.

Bayonetta held her hand over her mouth as she studied the two women and struggled not to laugh. "Pardon me, my darlings. Not poking fun at you. It's just that you two are just _so_ adorable. It would be a joy to have you both along for this little ride permanently. You ever thought about it?"

Baffled, Nariko and Kat both looked at each other, unsure of how to react to the sudden question that was actually quite personal given their circumstance.

"You mean... leave PlayStation," Kat asked with her finger pressing her bottom lip.

Nariko quickly refuted the idea and professed her loyalty to her parent brand. She crossed her arms and held a firm gaze as she replied, "That is a concern that has _never_ crossed our minds."

Bayonetta cocked her hips and shuffled the lollipop she was sucking on from one side of her mouth to the other. She was addicted to throwing people out of their comfort zones. "Hmph, no worries. Just thought I'd throw it out there. One thing you should know about me, I _love_ to get straight to the point, m'kay? So don't hold it against me." Her eyes fell back upon Nariko, who's concrete posture hadn't fled one bit. Bayonetta would be lying if she said she wasn't getting a tad frustrated. "That means loosen up a little! Damn girl, we're not gonna bite you... at least not _too_ hard."

Sensing the awkwardness getting to a dangerous level, Tiki reached out and caressed a loose piece of fabric from Nariko's dress, appreciating the quality of the cloth. "Wow, your garments are amazing!"

"Agreed," replied Bayonetta. "Dare I say that the two of you look breathtaking in your attire."

"Oh! Thank you," Kat retorted. "Well, you should really thank Polygon Man! He's the one who made our dresses for us!"

"_Did_ he now?" A provocative grin swept across Bayonetta's face. "Hmm, it's not often that a man gets a woman's taste right. Maybe I should strip for this... 'Polygon Man,' and see what he thinks would look good on _my_ naked body."

Kat and Nariko both looked at each other again, outright bewildered for the second time in less than a few minutes.

"Umm, yeah..." drawled Tiki, noting the further discomfort the guests were in. "She doesn't really have a filter."

Bayonetta popped the lollipop out of her mouth for a second so that Tiki could see her frown. "And why should I, sweetheart? Who wants to live a life walking on an egg shell runway? I'm not gonna be like Zelda who soaks her panties every time she sees Link do a push-up, then prance around like a pure and innocent princess. I don't think so. Do what you want. _Screw_ who you want." She let her candy rest against the bed of her tongue again and winked at Kat and Nariko. "That was your lesson for today ladies, on the house, free of charge."

Kat pushed aside any lingering thoughts on the matter, and noticed that she hadn't seen Ashley or Tiki in any of the videos she watched on the Smash Bros tournament. She had done a fair share of studying on Nintendo's competition so that she would hopefully be able to relate to its respective characters more. In the midst of her studies, she had actually become quite a fan of Smash Bros.

"So, are you all new fighters," she asked, looking between Ashley and Tiki. "I don't think I've ever seen you two on the roster."

"We're what people call 'Assist Fighters,'" Tiki answered. "We come in at different points of a battle and help out, depending on who summons us. So, we're not actual fighters."

"But we're just as important as the other fighters," Ashley spoke up, confidence booming in her voice. "We can turn the battle around in anyone's favor in just a few seconds! So don't underestimate us!"

Kat tapped her chin as a couple of ideas came to mind. "Ooh, how great it would've been to have something like that for _our_ tournament." Kat beamed at Nariko while she thought of all the possibilities for the game mechanic. "Raven could've been _my_ assist fighter. Oh, and Kai could've been yours!"

Bayonetta frowned after hearing Kat's ideas, and loudly crunched the lollipop that she'd been feasting on. "Frankly, I'm surprised that such a thing was never brought into your game show. After all, everything else about it was just a botched copy-and-paste job."

Nariko narrowed her eyes at Bayonetta and gritted her teeth, letting out a frustrated breath as she struggled to maintain her composure.

"Did I ruffle some feathers there? Oh, forgive me." Bayonetta chuckled at her own words. Byleth and the others weren't exactly sharing in the amusement, as they cast sideways glances at her amid her sudden change in demeanor. "I shouldn't be so curt to our new friends. Besides, it wasn't your fault that PlayStation couldn't do anything original to compete with Smash Bros. I actually feel sorry that you two lovelies had to be dragged into it."

Nariko held her head up high and walked up to Bayonetta until there were face to face. The Umbra Witch retained her relaxed composure, not intimidated at all by the fuming red-head. "The Battle Royale tournament was glorious. A fine mark of achievement for PlayStation's history. And we are _proud_ to have been apart of it. We do _not _need your pity, and we are _not_ your friends."

This time, Nariko was the one doing the grabbing and pulling, as she seized Kat's hand and led her away from any further conflict.

"B-But..." Kat began to protest, but instead flashed a smile at the other women in an attempt to salvage any new possible friendships while she was dragged away.

Bayonetta heaved a sigh and flicked her empty lollipop stick onto the floor for some schmuck to slip on. "Tsk, tsk. What a shame. And that blonde one was just _too_ cute. Hmph. Oh well." Bayonetta shrugged and walked off to find something else to entertain her.

* * *

Over in the dining room, Peach twirled around and noticed that the cupcakes that Fox helped her set out not too long ago, were now missing! She tapped her chin for a few seconds, and let her eyes wander while she tried to convince herself that she wasn't crazy. Sure enough, she found the culprit on the floor next to the old-school jukebox that was currently playing some modern pop jams. Fat Princess sat against the machine, licking pink icing off of her gloves. The empty tray was in her lap; a dead giveaway of her guilty pleasure. Peach couldn't help but smile at the younger royal girl. She went over to her and playfully wagged her finger in Plump's face.

"Now now. Sweets are a delectable treat, but you have to be careful not to eat too much! If you want to grow up to be a strong, healthy, princess like me, you have to put your veggies first!"

Instead of words, Fat Princess responded with a high-pitched burp right in Peach's direction. "Excuse me," she said in a tone that Peach couldn't tell if she was being genuine or sarcastic.

Peach frowned and sighed. "Children these days…"

She went back into the stockroom freezer to retrieve the backup set of cupcakes that she made just in case, and put them out back in the spot where the other deserts sat patiently waiting to be devoured. She dusted off her hands and put them on her hips. "There we go! That should be more than enough for everyone!"

Proud of her excellent baking skills, Peach walked into the kitchen to put away her apron. Wario waddled up to the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom and blew her a kiss. "Peach! Darling! Sweetcheecks!"

Peach wasn't phased by his unusually kind demeanor towards her. She knew that he had a craving for her famous baked goods. Most of the Smashers did. "There's no need to flatter me, Wario. I just set out another batch of cupcakes a minute ago. You're a guest just like everyone else, so feel free to enjoy them."

"That's just the thing, baby. There ain't no more out there."

"W-WHAT?! B-but I _just_ put out another tray!"

"Ah, that's no problem. You can just whip up some more real quick, right?" Peach ignored him and rushed out right past him. "Hey! Where ya going? You still didn't even catch my kiss! You're breakin' my heart, you know that?!"

Princess Peach came out just in time to see Plump finishing off the last bit her of cupcakes. Goodness! Peach hadn't been _this_ mad in a while! She stomped over to Fat Princess with steam coming out of her ears.

"Listen young lady. How _selfish_ of you to not let anyone else share? I've put a lot of hard work into baking those so that everyone could have a bite!" Wario walked up right next to Peach, and gave Plump the stink eye.

The young girl gulped one last time before she started to feel dizzy. She wobbled to the side for a bit, and began to make the older Princess worry.

"U-um. Are you all right," Peach asked with a trembling voice.

The situation began to draw a small crowd, who was also concerned that something may be wrong with the little girl. Wario, trying to save the day, perched right next to Plump and encouraged her to stay conscious.

"Breathe in! Breathe out! Breathe in! Breathe out!" He kept repeating those words while over-dramatically inhaling and exhaling so that she could get the idea. However, it was a stupid mistake to stand so close to her, because before he knew it, Fat Princess collapsed right on top of him. "_GYAAACK!_ GET HER..._URK_ OFF OF ME! I..._UNHK_ CAN'T BREATHE!"

Wii Fit Trainer and Joker rushed right over to them since they were the closest to the scene. Fit and Joker had to team lift Plump off of Wario, which really didn't matter anyway since _both_ of them were now knocked out cold.

"What happened over here," Mario asked as he frantically made his way to the scene.

"Uhh… it's…" Joker pondered, not really sure of what to say. "Let's just say that it's definitely one for the books."

Mario jumped in the air, twisted in place for a few seconds, and when he came back to the ground, he was now Dr. Mario! He put Wario and Princess Plump onto stretchers and, with the help of Joker, loaded them into an ambulance that was parked outside by the curb. Dr. Mario shut the double doors in the back of the truck and dusted off his hands.

"That should do it."

"Did she pass out from all the cake or Wario's breath," Joker asked.

"Probably both," Dr. Mario replied. "It's-a time to get the party back on track. Tell Luigi that-a he's in charge while I go-a check these two into the medical bay." Joker gave a nod, and went looking for Mario's brother. Everyone watched from inside as the ambulance made its way down the street, and disappeared behind the distant scenery. After a few minutes, things were getting back to normal and dinner was almost ready to start.

"Charizard, let's go!" Leaf released the fire/flying type from its Pokeball, and handed it napkins and utensils that would soon be put to great use. Her Charizard launched itself in the air, and flew over the dining table, meticulously placing the objects in each reserved spot on the table. In just a matter of seconds, the dining table was fully set, and some people began taking their seats.

On the other side of the room, Jak stood against the back wall, doing his best to remain unnoticed. He was never really a social butterfly, and he often found himself trying to blend into the background whenever he was forced into a public gathering. Sometimes it would work. In a rare occasion, it would backfire against him and cause him to stand out even more, just like now.

"Are you gonna stay on that wall all night like a nasty stain?"

"I don't see why not. I have no business with any of these people," Jak replied.

Daxter sighed and propped himself up on the usual spot on his buddy's shoulder. "Ahhh, typical Jak. Always gotta be the recluse of the group. The lone wolf. How far has that kinda attitude gotten you?"

Jak rolled his eyes and ignored him. He saw everyone taking their seats with their food, and figured it was time to do the same. He walked over to the tables of grub and both he and Daxter were taken aback by the plethora of food choices before them. Most of it was cooked by Chef Kawasaki who had, thankfully, been improving his cooking in the last few months. Daxter specifically had his eyes set on the chili fajitas that were still sizzling with heat. He also noticed the "Slap Ya Mama" seasoning that was next to the ketchup and other condiments, and instantly knew it was pretty much a match made in heaven! Jak caught sight of what Daxter was staring at, and slapped him on the back of his head.

*THWACK* "Hey?! What was that for?! I'm behaving myself! I haven't even _looked_ at a chick the wrong-" Before he could finish his sentence, Bayonetta strutted by, and he couldn't help but get an eyeful of her... _exciting_ features. "Hubba hubb-" *THWACK* "OW! JAK! Would you stop that?!"

"I'm not talking about _that_. I'm talking about those fajitas. You're _not _eating those. Can't have people running out of the mansion because of your weak stomach."

"Oh, gimme a break. I haven't seen food _this_ good in ages, and I ain't gonna let some bad gas ruin that!" Daxter took half of all the tacos that were made, and dumped them onto his plate. "Let's go find us a seat so I can diiiig in!"

* * *

It wasn't too long until everyone in the building eventually found a seat at the dining table. The Smashers and All Stars naturally separated themselves by sitting across from one another at the table. The already tense and awkward air seemed to be kicked up a notch, and many distracted themselves by either fiddling with their silverware or chatting with whoever was next to them while waiting to be given the green light to chow down. Even though he hated the responsibility that had suddenly been burdened upon him, Luigi understood his role as the captain of the event, and was eager to kick the event off. He stood up to gather everyone's attention.

"Attention everyone! Before we-a start eating, let's-a all introduce ourselves," he jubilantly said. His jubilance, however, was drained the moment that Kratos stood up and opened his mouth.

"WE ARE THE PLAYSTATION ALL STARS! AND WE WILL _KILL_ YOU ALL!"

Ratchet pulled on his ears in utter disbelief of what he just heard! He could only guess that Kratos had so much built in anger and resentment for tonight that he couldn't control it. Ratchet turned to scan everyone else's reactions, and he could clearly see that they weren't pleased with what they heard too. Panicking, he struggled to come up with a way to keep things from falling apart.

Smiles were immediately replaced with blank stares, since nobody was sure how to react to that left-field statement. The mansion was dead quiet, and it remained that way for what seemed like an eternity.

"..."

"..."

"..." *cough* "..."

Ganondorf was the first to break the painfully awkward silence. His chair flew back against the wall as he stood up and met Kratos' fiery gaze. "_EXCUSE _ME?! YOU WISH TO DO _WHAT?!_"

"He's joking!" Drake said, desperately trying to save the night from becoming a catastrophe. "He's joking, I swear. He just has a twisted sense of humor." Drake gently patted Kratos on the shoulders, non-verbally urging the Spartan to sit back down. However, he just shrugged the treasure hunter's hands from his body.

"Perhaps you did not hear me clearly, demon, so I shall say it again…"

"Kratos, seriously," Drake coughed up fake chuckles, acting as best as he could to make it seem like this was all some sort of prank. "You can stop with the joke now! We get it! You're hilarious! NOW SIT _DOWN_!"

"Nah, he ain't joking! And neither are those fajitas! Gotta skedaddle!"

All eyes were now on Daxter as he scurried across the dining table, heading for the nearest bathroom he could find, but not before crashing into Paultena's bowl of ramen that spilled yellow liquid all over her alabaster dress!

"Oops!" Daxter paused. He gazed up at the goddess and nearly crapped himself right there just by seeing how annoyed she was.

Palutena slowly backed up her chair and stood up, completely flustered by how things had derailed in just one minute. When she looked down at how badly her dress was ruined, it took all she had to keep from showing just how livid she actually was.

Daxter pushed his luck, and tried sucking up to avoid being snapped out of existence. "Ehh… did anyone ever tell you that yellow is _totally_ your color?"

"DAXTER!" Jak yelled across the table in sheer embarrassment. He jumped up and chased the troublemaker out of the room and down the hall, and everybody could only blankly stare in awe of their behavior.

A cone of bright light flashed where Palutena's chair was, and when the light dissipated, she was nowhere to be found.

"Lady Palutena!" Pit couldn't believe that she would just up and leave like that.

Before things could somehow get any more out of hand, Sly raised his wine glass in the air and tapped it twice with his spoon to divert everyone's attention. His calm and laidback demeanor was just the catalyst needed to ease the rising tension in the atmosphere. "How about we start over and get to know each other a bit? The name's Sly Cooper. It's a pleasure to meet you all. I think I speak for all my fellow All Stars when I say that we are _more_ than honored to be here. I mean, we're sitting with gaming's biggest idols right now. I'd love to hear some of your stories from over the years, and we'd be thrilled to share ours as well."

Though some people were still a little on edge, Sly's clever speech mostly worked to break the ice, and some smiles had already begun to return.

Sly took a quick sip of his beverage and whispered to the Lombax that sat next to him, "That's how it's done buddy boy."

Disappointed in himself, Ratchet fumed knowing that Sly had just done a better job to keep things in check, especially since he wasn't even the assigned spokesperson.

Ash piped up from across the table, clearly motivated from Sly's welcome.

"Couldn't have said it better myself! We're totally psyched to have y'all here too! Who cares if you guys are from a different company? The way I see it, the more the merrier!"

"Pika, Pi!"

"Awesome. Glad we were finally able to address the elephant in the room," Sly continued. "Though, I'm particularly interested in _you_, Ms. Aran."

Samus scowled at him, not too keen on being singled out in front of so many people and also not highly fond of sharing her personal details with strangers. However, there was a method to Sly's madness. He hoped that by getting one of the quietest members to talk, then that would encourage everyone else to open up as well. He stayed smooth, resting his chin on his knuckles as he continued.

"Being such a high class bounty hunter, I'm sure you've built up quite a collection of souvenirs. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm your biggest fan here. So I'd love it if you gave me a peek someday, if that isn't too much to ask from you. As a favor for a favor, I'll even rustle up some Cooper Gang relics for you."

Samus remained looking at him with her trademark "IDGAF" face. Sly sort of underestimated her, because she could tell that he wasn't really serious and was pretty much just clowning around. She returned her attention to her cuisine to pick up her spork and forget he even exists.

"She isn't much of a talker, but you can consider me one. Name's Ken, but some of you already know me. Ain't that right, Heihachi?"

Across the table, the gray-haired veteran fighter simply grunted as a response.

"Looks like you've put on a few years since I've seen you. Maybe even decades now that I'm getting a closer look."

Heihachi threw his head back and howled in laughter. "Fool! No matter _what_ my age is, you will never be able to match my fighting prowess!"

"Yeah, sure. Keep dreamin' geezer. Time sure ain't slowin' down for ya." Ken directed his attention to Toro and Kuro who were just bubbling with excitement. "Toro, Kuro! How you knuckleheads doin'? Didn't think I'd ever see you two goofballs again!"

"HIIIIII KEN," the two felines greeted together. Unbeknownst to everyone else, Toro, Kuro, Heihachi, and Ken all met before when each of them fought in the Street Fighter X Tekken tournament that took place years ago. For the cats, it was a relief seeing someone else they were good friends with in a world that was so new to them.

It was just what was the doctor ordered to get things finally going for the meet and greet. All that was needed was at least two people who were motivated to get to know each other, and that enthusiasm was spread over some of the others as the night went on. Some people on Nintendo's side shared details about themselves, and likewise, the All Stars did the same. After about thirty minutes of swapping stories and learning about one another, everyone was close to finishing up their meals and ready to say goodbye for the night; especially the people who didn't care to be there in the first place.

Sweet Tooth was in the middle of wrapping up his scary story that ironically drew the attention of kids like Ness and Popo.

"So _that's_ when I finally gave that gullible idiot a full serving! He stuffed that entire double-scoop cone into his mouth in one gulp!"

"He _did_," exclaimed Popo.

"Nooo, you're kidding," Ness commented.

"MUAHA! But do you wanna know what happened next," Sweet Tooth teased.

Everyone at the table grumbled in response, clearly not as interested in story time like Ness and Lucas were.

"Oooh! Tell us," the two kids exclaimed at the same time.

"BOOM! His head erupted like a goddamn volcano! MUAHAHA! And _that's_ why you always check your ice cream for explosives, boys and girls!"

Princess Daisy stood up, gathering everyone's attention. "Well, on _that_ note, it was nice meeting you all, but I think now is a good time to wrap things up. Luigi?" She glanced over at the man who was close to falling asleep, and socked him in the head.

"Huh?! Oh yeah." Luigi stood up and dismissed everyone, much to most people's delight.

Overall, the night wasn't as disastrous as Ratchet had thought it would be, though, he knew that it also didn't do much to help everyone feel more comfortable, which was the entire goal in the first place! Nevertheless, the All Stars swiftly made their way outside of the Mansion, and waited for Kapp'n to come pick them up.

"Do you think he had time to swing the car by a body shop while we were in there?" Ignoring what had to be Cole's one millionth remark on the paint job, they watched as Kapp'n pulled the limo up next to them, and got inside the luxurious ride; dreaming about the comfy beds that awaited them at Donktastic.

Ratchet waved goodbye to the car that became nothing but a small pink spec as it faded into the distance of the night. He sighed and trudged back up the steps, dreading what he knew would be one long, tremendously awkward experience for the next few days.

* * *

Back inside the Mansion, Snake was making his way toward to his room, rubbing his belly as he did so. He didn't care too much for the forced formalities earlier, but he'd tell you in a heartbeat that the food was to die for. He was put on guard, however, when he noticed that something about his surroundings seemed… different. He steadied his breathing and focused his brain power on sole concentration, so that he would be able to identify what the anomaly was. Sure enough, as he continued walking, he noticed that someone was following him. After a glint of red light was caught in his peripheral, it didn't take long for Snake to decipher who exactly it was. He came to a stop in one of the darker corridors of the Mansion, and prepared himself for a possible skirmish.

"Can't find your way out of the Mansion? Or is there a _different_ reason that you're following me?"

Raiden's voice sounded as low and gruff as ever while he responded. "I never got to ask _my_ question. Everyone was too busy running their mouths."

"Oh, like your friend who threatened to kill all of us when we weren't even a minute into supper?"

Raiden paused. "There's no excusing his words… he has a past… a troubled one. _You_ of all people should know what that's like. I sure as hell do. Or did you forget who you are, surrounded by all of this fake affliction?"

Snake chuckled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, and lit it by striking it against the material on his Sneaking Suit.

"They've softened you Snake. I can tell just by hearing the way you breathe."

"That's where you're wrong, Raiden. Thanks to these people, I've grown in more ways than I ever knew a man could. They've given me answers to problems I've never been able to solve by myself. It seems to me like the only thing _your_ people have done for you is turn you into even more of a bitter man than you used to be."

"Don't you dare tell _me_ how they've changed my life! I know very well the lessons that I've learned while on this journey with them. If you were with me, you would know."

"So that's what this is about? Of _course_ it is. You're still fed up that I chose to fight for a different brand. Yet you chose to be with people who crave blood and tears more than water."

"I CHOSE THE ALL STARS BECAUSE THEY AREN'T FAKE! They're _REAL_ people who had to suffer with _REAL_ issues, and THAT is what makes us such a strong family. We've been through it all and we know how hard life can be, yet we struggle through it together. You _betrayed_ us, you son of a bitch. You, Crash, Cloud, Spyro, and everyone else! You all left us to _DIE_ when we needed you the most. When PlayStation begged for your assistance, you all turned your heads away. But I'll _never_ forgive _you_. You not only ignored us, you joined our rivals. If that isn't the biggest middle finger to the parent that raised you… then I don't know _what_ is."

Raiden paused, letting his words marinate in his old teacher's mind. Snake took another hit from his cigarette and looked at Raiden for the first time tonight. "Are you done?"

Raiden's seething anger was multiplied by Snake's slack attitude. He put the cigarette out by using the palm of his hand, and plucked the object right at Raiden's chest plate. The cyborg looked down at the cigarette that fell by his feet, then back up to see Snake's intimidating glare just a couple of inches away from his face.

"You're still just a little boy," Snake said, his tone engulfed with anger. "You'll never know how much it pains me to see how your 'family' has turned you into the wasted potential that you always struggled _not_ to be." Snake took his finger and pointed it over Raiden's shoulder. "Go to hell."

"WHY YOU LITTLE-" Raiden reeled in to strike but was caught off guard when his punch was caught by someone else. He looked to his side and nearly jumped out of his servos when he saw the face of a blonde woman who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Samus narrowed her eyes and spoke. "The Smash Mansion parameters are off limits to those who aren't enrolled in the tournament, unless excused by Master Hand. In this case, _you're_ not. You need to leave."

Samus let go of Raiden's fist and he snarled in anger, realizing that his "reunion" with his old teacher was over. He took one last look at Snake, and began making his way out of the building.

Snake and Samus remained quiet for a while in the dark hallway. She cast a glance at him and could tell that he was doing his best to stifle his emotions. "Who is he?" She asked.

Snake hesitated, but decided to give her an answer anyway. "...An old friend."

* * *

Meanwhile, after wrapping up his business in the hospital, Mario made it back to the Mansion to assist the cleanup crew. He found Fox, Peach, his brother, and Isabelle putting the decorations and what-nots back into boxes to be put away.

"Hey hey! There he is," Fox welcomed Mario as he jogged into the room.

"It's-a good to be back! How did everything go? Luigi didn't choke on his food this time, did he?" Mario playfully patted his brother on the back.

"Ehh… well… It was _okay_… I guess," Fox replied while rubbing the back of his head.

"Yes, It could've been better, but it wasn't terrible," Peach mentioned.

"I'm just afraid that they didn't feel as welcomed as I hoped for," Isabelle said. "Most of them were kinda shy."

Mario sighed. "Well, at least it's-a start. I know not everyone was-a happy to have them, but that just means we have to work-a harder. I still believe that we can all be friends."

_"Pfft. Yeah, keep dreaming," _Fox thought to himself. He put his hands in his pockets and began to walk off, but stopped when he felt his finger brush against something. "Hmm?" He felt around in his pocket and pulled out a business card with a blue logo on it. Fox flipped the card around to the other side and noticed some words that read, _"A pleasure getting to know you. Looking forward to the next time we meet. Stay beautiful. - Sly." _"How the heck did this get in my pocket," Fox asked in shock.

On instinct, Luigi reached in his pockets and whaddya know? He pulled out an identical card! "Huh?!"

Peach and Isabelle followed their actions and also got the same results. "I don't remember putting _this _in my pocket," Isabelle mumbled.

Just then, Pit entered the room with a handful of the _exact_ same cards, indicating that the world renowned thief had snuck a card into everyone's pocket somehow. "Hey guys, do you know anything about these?"

Sly, being the sneaky delinquent that he is, was so stoked about meeting everyone, that he decided to leave them a token of his appreciation right under their noses. He always had to show off, didn't he?

Fox tossed the card over his shoulder and groaned. "Oh great. We have another jokester in town."

* * *

"Ninety-two, ninety-three... ah, here we go. Ninety-four."

It wasn't hard for Ratchet to find his room. It was all the way up on the highest floor of Smash Mansion, and the hallways were pretty much empty. He figured that most people were probably just too tired from the meet and greet to stay up any longer. Mario had given him some basic instructions to find his room, but after that, he hadn't seen any other Smashers along the way, and a part of him was grateful for that. He still wasn't totally comfortable while staying in what he thought of as a stranger's house. Above all else, he just wanted a nice big ol' bed to sink into. The last couple of days had been far too hectic for his liking, especially with that pesky raccoon being a pain in his neck. _"Sly. Sometimes, I just wish he would shut the hell up."_

Ratchet opened the door to the room, and was greeted to a decently sized studio with two beds. The décor was remarkably modest compared to the flamboyant luxury seen everywhere else in the mansion, with a simple light gray coating for the walls. There was a lounge chair in the far off corner of the room that was next to a lampstand, and that was pretty much it for fancy furniture. One of the beds had a jumbled mess of blue sheets resting on top. The other bed, which was on the opposite side of the room, had a basic white sheet and a folded orange comforter on top. He assumed that that was the bed that was reserved for him, and plopped himself and his stuff down on top.

"Hmm, wonder who's my roommate."

A few raps on the door snapped him away from his thoughts. He jumped up and opened the door to find Polygon Man floating in front of him. "Oh, it's just you."

"You seem disappointed. Were you expecting someone else?"

Ratchet rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I was expecting Wonder Woman in a two piece bikini, but lo and behold, it's you instead."

"Let me warn you. Your frequent sarcasm is grinding away my patience. ...Besides, Diana wouldn't give you a slither of her time anyway."

"Look, is there something that you need, or can I go to bed now?"

"...Actually, yes. I need to address some important matters with you. May I come in?"

Ratchet nonchalantly threw his hands in the air. "You act like this is _my_ house or something."

"Bah, Ratchet! Can you cease being such a pessimist for one minute of the day?" Polygon Man floated inside and took a look around the room, particularly noting the blue bed. "I hope you get along with your roommate. But speaking of the Smashers, do you care to explain to me what happened tonight?"

Ratchet flopped on the bed and looked up towards the ceiling, not thrilled of where the conversation was heading. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, you don't, do you? So you don't remember Princess Plump passing out on top of Wario?! Or how about Daxter almost getting killed by the goddess of Light?! Or what about those cats playing keep away with Mario's hat?! Or worst of all, Kratos opening his big mouth in front of everyone!"

Ratchet thought for a good long minute about how things were going. Tonight was supposed to be the night where barriers were broken. Where PlayStation and Nintendo finally came together and addressed their differences, and moved _past_ that. Instead, it seems like things may have gotten even worse, and it irked Ratchet that he felt there was nothing he could do about it. He sat up and looked Polygon Man in the eye.

"I love PlayStation more than anything. Just ask Clank how glad I am to be a part of this brand. And I would give my life to see it flourish in every corner of the gaming community. But Polygon Man, I think in order for that to happen, you have to choose someone else to represent. I just don't know _how_ to do what you need me to do."

"Then you will learn. I stand by my decision and will _not_ think twice. I want tonight to be a lesson for you. You must learn how to tighten your leash. Put your foot down! Be the leader that I _know_ you can be!"

Polygon Man watched as Ratchet stared down at the ground, contemplating the words that were just preached to him. Polygon Man never liked the idea of having any favorites among his children. However, he'd be lying if he said that there was something different about Ratchet, which made him have more confidence in the Lombax compared to others.

"I will leave you be. Get your rest, and take heed to my words, my son. Goodnight."

Polygon Man floated out of the room and closed the door behind him. Ratchet changed out of his tuxedo and into his pajamas, and buried himself in the warm covers.

"I hope the rest of the week won't be such a pain. PlayStation and Nintendo becoming allies? Yeah. What a pipe dream."


	4. Week 1: World Tour - Part 1

The Next Day

It was way too early in the morning to go on a fetch quest in a hotel littered with celebrities, weirdos and politicians alike. Nevertheless, Daxter found himself heading towards Jak's room, dragging his exhausted body along the carpet and struggling to find an excuse not to be in bed.

"Ugh, that floating grape has _got_ to get a reality check on the wonderful world of memory foam! Just because _he_ doesn't sleep doesn't mean _we_ don't need to!"

After that embarrassing epic fail that was the previous night, a few of the All Stars were notified that a field trip was scheduled for the following morning. Polygon Man thought that it would be a good idea for his kids to become more familiar with the world of Nintendo and its iconic landmarks. He also hoped that it would be a breath of fresh air for them, since the past couple of days hadn't exactly been working out in their favor.

Being careful not to make too much noise, Daxter opened the door just enough to squeeze his body through the crack. He hopped onto his best friend's bed and walked up onto his chest. Jak was out cold and appeared to be in a state of discomfort. His brows were furrowed and he was shaking underneath his covers.

Daxter shrugged and began rubbing his hands together in preparation for a nice firm slap.

"Whatevs. You'll thank me later."

Daxter took his right hand, reeled all the way back and whipped it around to collide full force with Jak's cheek.

*THWACK*

"GRAAGHHH!" Jak sprung up from his bed, ripped from his nightmare, and ready to rip apart whoever disturbed him as a result.

"Jak! Get ahold of yaself! It's your old pal Dax!"

Looking down at his hands, Jak noted the purple skin, and sharp black protrusions where his nails should be. _"Dark. Damn it." _He quickly regained his correct consciousness when he realized there was no danger, and reverted back to his normal form.

"Dammit, Jak! You had me worried you were about to do something stupid!"

Jak rested against the headboard, letting a frustrated sigh escape his throat.

Daxter plopped himself down next to him. "These little nightmares of yours have been getting more common haven't they? Whaddya thinks going on?"

"It's Dark. It's getting harder to control."

A flash of concern swept across Daxter's face. Whenever it came down to discussing the serious stuff, they would change the subject, or Daxter would gloss over it with a witty joke like with any other tearjerker. Dark Eco had affected both of them in negative ways to the point where they just wanted to forget about all of it.

"Got any idea what the problem is?"

"Dunno. Guess I'm just tired. Tired of feeling angry. Tired of losing control. Tired of feeling like Polygon Man's puppet. I don't get why he just won't let us go."

"Well, when you put it like that, ya definitely not gonna like what the Boss wants us to do today."

Jak's hope for a decent day crashed the moment he began guessing what genius plan Polygon Man came up with _this_ time. He ran his fingers through his green hair and stood up to start getting ready.

"What _now_?"

* * *

Outside the Donktastic Manor, Polygon Man floated around the front entrance, waiting for everyone to wake up and come out so that the trip could begin. Dr. Wright and Kapp'n joined Polygon Man since they would both be crucial assistants for the trip. Kapp'n would use a bigger, extended version of his school bus to take everyone from one place to the other, and Dr. Wright would just narrate along the way.

Reluctantly, due to the early hours of the morning, each of the All Stars who felt like coming along trickled out one by one, forming a group of just eight total. The clique consisted of: Dante, Daxter, Zeus, Kat, Jak, Sweet Tooth, Clank, and Nariko. Everyone stood around for what felt like forever, waiting for anyone else who was willing to climb out of bed to join them for the trip. Polygon Man, however, was the one who was the most impatient, and fumed over to the others to unleash his frustration.

"Where is everyone else!? I told you all to be ready at seven-thirty sharp!"

Zeus decided to speak up for everyone. "It would appear that you are burdened with only us for now. Forget the others. Let us make haste for our endeavor, so that I may return to my own affairs."

"Preposterous!" Polygon Man shouted in rage. "I wanted every single one of you to be here! That was not a request! That was a COMMAND!"

"Chill out would ya?!" Daxter shot back. "A lot of us are still trying to recover from last night. Hell, I know _I_ am! My stomach feels like it's doing the YMCA right now!"

"And to keep it real," Dante started, "A lot of us aren't too thrilled to be here anyway. Had to listen to Kratos rambling all night about how he'd rather be in the 'clutches of Medusa' than here. Pretty sure he's not the only one who feels that way."

If Polygon Man had hands, he'd be facepalming right now.

"Perhaps we should reschedule," Dr. Wright suggested.

"No, no. There's no need for it," Polygon Man replied. "The trip will continue with all of you. You all will be rewarded for your obedience. However, I cannot say the same for the others. They-"

"Lemme guess," Daxter interrupted, "'They shall be _punished_ for their disobedience!'" Daxter put heavy emphasis into his impersonation of his leader, who also wasn't thrilled on being mocked. "Whaddya gonna do? Give em' a slap on the wrist? It ain't their fault that you told us last minute that we'd have to wake up when we should still be catching Z's."

"Enough! You may be correct Daxter, but there is still no excuse that less than half of my children are present for this trip! Now off you go!"

"You won't be joining us?" Nariko asked.

"I will not. This is to be an educational experience for you only. Hopefully you all will also come to embrace your stay afterwards."

The group of eight walked toward the school bus that Kapp'n proudly stood by.

"A bus? What happened to the Caddy?" Daxter asked.

"No limo today, lad," Kapp'n responded. "Today, we be usin' me trusty Joanna for transport!"

"Joanna? You… _named_ your vehicle?" Dr. Wright gave a condescending look as he questioned Kapp'n's odd kink.

"I've been 'round the world too many times to be planked by young folk like ye. On the bus ye go!"

Everyone climbed aboard and strapped themselves in with ease, except for Zeus who had his head scraping the ceiling due to his towering figure.

"How long of a drive are we looking at," Dante asked. "Might try and get some more shuteye on the way there."

"First stop is the Kingdom of Hyrule! Well, Hyrule Castle, to be more specific," Dr. Wright clarified. "It's a quite flattering place to start our trip. But don't worry. The locations we'll travel to won't be far at all, thanks to the power of warp technology." Dr. Wright took his hand and positioned it underneath a steel ring that was fastened onto the dash of the bus. "This handy device will make our travels as quick as a snap of your finger." *Snap*

Zeus scoffed. "You speak of man-made contraptions that harness the power of sorcery. Ha! Such toys should not be in the hands of feeble mortals like you."

"Sorcery, magic, whatever the hell you wanna call it," chimed Dante. "If you don't like it, how 'bout you walk to Hyrule instead?"

Dr. Wright cleared his throat. "Ahem! Let's stay behaved, shall we? We will commence our travels in just a moment."

Kapp'n pressed a button on the dash, and a huge portal opened just a little ways ahead of them. He stepped on the gas and before they knew it, they were blasting off toward the vortex to begin their trip of a lifetime.

* * *

Over at Smash Mansion, news of the tour quickly spread due to word of mouth. Once Zelda was told that her Kingdom would be the first of which they would visit, she felt like she had no choice but to be there to represent her world in good light. She wasn't much of a fan of preparing for an event under constrained time limits, so she did the best she could for what time she had left to get ready. Skipping breakfast, she threw on some clothes and got ready to leave for her castle. Once there, she planned to put on a dress that she felt was more appropriate for the occasion.

From her room, Zelda made haste for the Portal Room, which is where the Smashers used warp gates to quickly make it to and fro from different worlds. On the way there, she sped through the mess hall that was usually always like a circus in the mornings. She'd be lucky to make it out of there without getting in the crossfire of a food fight between Waluigi and Wario.

While focused on making a PokePuff sandwich for Pikachu, Ash felt a sudden rush of air blow past him, and looked up to see Zelda making way for the exit. A smile grew on his lips. "Hey, Zelda! Wait up!"

The Princess turned around and apologized for what she believed was rude of her. "My apologies, Ash. I was in such a hurry, I suppose I didn't see you there."

"Hey, that's no biggie. I-"

"If you'll excuse me, I must hurry to Hyrule to prepare for some guests that will be coming soon."

Ash's smile grew even wider. "The All Stars, am I right?"

"Indeed. How were you informed already?"

"News got around pretty fast." Ash chuckled as he stroked the bill of his hat, watching Pikachu get lost in a world of sensual delight. "But that's what I was just about to mention. You mind if I come along with you? I wanna see if they'll let me travel with them on the tour! You see, I'm really thrilled to have all these new fighters here, and I wanna hang out with them as much as I can!"

"I don't see why not." Zelda nodded her head. "Very well. Come. Follow me!"

* * *

Just like Dr. Wright promised, everyone found themselves in Hyrule in nearly a flash, but not without almost losing their breakfast in the process. Kapp'n turned around in his seat and couldn't help but laugh at his disheveled passengers who looked like they've been through a hardcore acid trip. "Hee, hee! First time ye wee landlovers usin' a warp gate, eh? No sweatin' it! Ye'll get used to it."

"The Battle Royale tournament does have its own means of trans-dimensional transportation..," Clank replied as he struggled to remove himself from an upside position in his seat.

"...Just not as overbearing, I'm afraid," Nariko finished the sentence for Clank.

"You sound like you do this a lot," Jak growled out as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"O' course I do! I'm sure ye know I be an Assist Fighter. That means I gotta haul bottom when one o' them Smash fellas call me. How do ye reckon' this old man gets to the action so lickity-split?"

Having enough of the view from inside the bus, everyone stepped out of the vehicle and allowed themselves to be swept away by the serenity of Hyrule Castle. It was a glorious castle chock-full of video game history, and embodied the definition of royalty.

Dr. Wright cleared his throat again and began his narration. "The soil you are standing on, my friends, is sacred soil." He stretched his hands out to the sky and shouted, "_This_ is Hyrule! The heart of Nintendo! The birthplace of gaming for many children across the world!" He paused when he hadn't garnered any sort of reaction from the others. They all just stood, hands to their sides, with blank faces. "Is there a problem? A-Are you not excited?"

"Umm, sure we are! Uhm, this is great!" Kat forced herself to sound much more ecstatic than what she actually was. The last thing she'd want is to hurt Dr. Wright's feelings.

Dante shrugged. "What? You want us foaming at the mouth or something? All I see is an ordinary castle."

Before the conversation could go further, everyone turned their attention toward a woman approaching them accompanied by two guards by her sides.

Dr. Wright clasped his hands in excitement when he realized who it was. "Oh! Ms. Impa! To whom do I owe the pleasure?" He put his forearm across his abdomen and bowed.

Impa crossed her arms and got straight to the point. "No need for the formalities. The Princess is prepping upstairs, so I'll be your guide until she's ready."

"Erhm. Well, I wasn't informed I'd be receiving help," Dr. Wright nervously murmured.

"Calm down. I'm not here to steal your thunder." She beckoned everyone with her finger, and turned around to begin leading them up to the castle entrance. "Follow me."

Along the path, guards stood in formation on both sides with their spears piercing the clouds above. Thanks to the presence of security and the oddly quiet environment, the vibe was a little intimidating and really set in just how important Zelda was. Impa approached the drawbridge and raised her left fist slightly in the air, signaling everyone to pause while the drawbridge lowered. Afterwards, the group made their way inside, and Dr. Wright adjusted his tie in preparation for his history teaching.

* * *

Looking down from her window, Zelda watched as her guests trudged along into her castle. Just a few minutes ago, she had practically hosted her own dance show as she twisted and twirled in the mirror to check for any imperfections in her outfit. Feeling satisfied with her attire, all she had left to do now was squash the butterflies in her stomach. She still wasn't quite sure how to address the group of strangers that she knew pretty much nothing about. Well, nothing except that they were apart of a rival group that professed hatred for her family for years! Even the King of Hyrule had excused himself after his request to ban the All Stars from the castle was denied by Master Hand.

With a deep breath, she removed herself from the ledge of her window and opened the door to leave her room. She was caught off guard to see Link relaxed against the wall in the hallway while listening to Ash chat. Ash stopped talking to allow the two Hylians to greet each other.

"Oh. I suppose I should've expected to see you here," Zelda stated. "You are just as much a part of this Kingdom as I am. You must've been prepared in advance... unlike me."

Link crossed his arms and flashed a smile, giving her confirmation of her question with a nod.

"There's no need to be a prude about it," she teased. "Let's not keep our guests waiting any longer."

* * *

Down in the foyer of the castle, Impa and Dr. Wright kept the tour going along smoothly by giving the All Stars a rundown on the anatomy of Hyrule Castle.

"And finally, we have our choice of decorum, which gives the royal palace its signature finishing touch," spoke Dr. Wright. "Everything here has been chosen with both quality and representation in mind. For example, these paintings that line the walls have portraits of those that have impacted Hyrule's history. Others, such as this rendition of Princess Peach, have been personally requested by Princess Zelda due to Her Highness' close friendship."

In the back of the group, Sweet Tooth held his hand up in the air, like a student waiting for their question to be answered by the professor. Caught off guard by the unusual formality, Impa gave the greenlight. "You there, with the mask. Got a question?"

"Why do they call her Peach? Does she taste like it?"

"Heh, only one way to find out..." Dante topped off his innuendo with a clever wink.

"What's it to ye?" Kapp'n argued. "Why do ye go by Sweet Tooth? Sound like it be a stripper name to me, mate!"

Sweet Tooth burst out laughing, thinking back to the effed up way he earned his moniker. "Those who know never live to tell why."

"Regardless of her name, Her Graciousness is royalty, and you'd all do well to honor her if she ever blesses you with her presence!" Dr. Wright replied slightly annoyed.

"Honor? Bah. A god such as I does not bow before _any_ mortal." Zeus commented but no one really paid him attention.

"Attention!" Hyrule's guards struck the end of their spears against the stone floor twice, filling the interior with a metallic echo that silenced all conversation.

All eyes gazed upon Zelda as she descended from the large system of stairs that functioned as the centerpiece of the foyer. Ash and Link followed right behind her.

"Y-Your Excellence!" Dr. Wright swiftly brought his face mere centimeters to the floor, bowing in reverence of the Princess.

"Will ye relax, ye scurvy bloke?!" Kapp'n chastised. "She may be royalty but not the kind that'll send ye to the guillotine for not kissing her flippers! Stand up!"

Dr. Wright stood up just as quickly as he had knelt down, and dusted his burgundy suit off. "E-Erhm… perhaps you're right."

Firmly placing her feet on the last step, Zelda looked to her left and noticed Impa standing off to the side with the other guards. She smiled and waved at her caretaker. "Oh, Impa! As always, I am grateful for your unwavering loyalty. Many thanks for your assistance today."

Impa allowed a smile to break free as she replied. "Y'know it's always an honor, my Princess. May I be excused?"

"You wish to leave so suddenly? Our day has only just begun."

Impa's eyes wandered over to the group of strangers that Zelda was just about to address. "I understand. I'm just feeling a little... under the weather."

Though a little disheartened not to have another friend in her presence, Zelda let Impa go. "Very well. You are dismissed, but I hope to see you again before the day is over."

"Thank you." Before she turned around to leave, Impa shot a look over to Link, who interpreted everything she needed to say through her eyes. _"Be on your guard around this lot."_

Link simply nodded, acknowledging that he fully understood her even though he felt comfortable around the All Stars so far.

From left to right, Zelda scanned her crowd of guests and introduced herself. "Greetings everyone! I am Princess Zelda of the Kingdom of Hyrule. But 'Zelda' will do just fine. May I ask each of your names?"

"Allow me, your Majesty," Dr. Wright said with a bow of reverence. He reached his hand out across the line of All Stars and began revealing their names. "Starting from my right, we have Clank, Sweet Tooth, Nariko, Kat, Dante, Zeus, Jak, and Daxter."

"A pleasure to meet you all." She stepped to the side and put the two guys behind her in the spotlight. "The gentlemen behind me are two very good friends of mine. His name is Link." Link gave a simple nod and smile to the crowd. "...And his name is Ash."

Ash adjusted his hat and gave a wave. "Yep, and this is my partner Pikachu!"

"Pika, Pika! Pi?!"

Next thing Pikachu knew, he was being bombarded by kisses and hugs from Kat; just another person fondling over his cuteness as soon as they see him.

"He's so plush and squishy! What a cutie!" Kat stretched his red cheeks in and out like a rubber band, making a snapping noise fill the castle along with her hysterical giggling.

"Pikaaa…" Pikachu was starting to get annoyed. He had gotten used to people losing their minds over how adorable he was time and time again. Yet, he still had his limits.

"Uhm… I wouldn't keep doing that if I were you…" Ash warned.

"Oh, but how could I stop? He's like a little drop of sunshine and I want him aaaaall to myself!"

"I'm warning you…" Ash continued, yet getting no further in convincing her than before.

"Peee kaa chooo! Peee kaa chooo!" Kat chimed his species' name as she continued her assault. "Peee kaa-"

"CHUUUU!" *ZAAAAAP*

Ash tried to run but wasn't fast enough as both of them received a shock treatment and sizzling afros to top it all off with. "I told ya to quit it…" A thick puff of smoke escaped his throat.

"As the Princess was saying," Dr. Wright continued, "Ash and Link are veteran fighters along with Princess Zelda. Because of that, they know each other fairly well."

"Alright, hold the phone!" Everyone turned to Daxter, who made himself the center of attention in the room. He facepalmed and pointed his finger at his buddy. "Jak, after all we've been through, you've _never_ told me that you had a twin brother! What gives?!" Daxter turned his pointed finger toward Link, who wasn't comfortable being put on the spot like that. Link's comfort zone was further abused when Daxter jumped onto his head and took ahold of his ears. "See look! Same ears, same hair, same eyes! Same ugly mug! Ya see?!"

"Hmm, it certainly would appear that they share _very_ similar features," Clank pondered out loud.

Link closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, not giving in to his loss of patience with Daxter balancing himself on his head.

"Daxter, be cool. We don't know each other." Jak walked up and yanked his buddy off of Link's head and apologized for Daxter's awkward outburst. "Ignore him. He has a habit of blowing things out of proportion."

"And _you_ have a habit of blowing smoke outta your ass! You two are brothers until evidence says otherwise! I _demand_ a DNA test this instant! Hey, Doc, hook us up would ya?"

Dr. Wright ignored the request and Link remained silent as he straightened himself out.

Zelda found herself giggling at the banter between the two best friends. She called out to Jak as he returned to his cozy spot in the back of the crowd. "May I ask what world you two hail from?"

Caught off guard by her question, Jak looked for a way to decline revealing anything about themselves, not wanting to think about the past. "Nowhere important." His response was a little more cut and dried than what he'd liked it to be, but it got the job done.

"Oh," she quietly responded, not nearly amused as she was just a few seconds ago.

Just in time to change the subject, Ash shouted, "THIS IS AWESOME!" He swiftly jumped from one All Star to the other, shaking their hands as he went along. "It's so great to finally meet you guys! I was just wondering though, weren't there more of you?"

"Yeah, so? Who cares about those lazy motherfu-" Clank nudged Sweet Tooth before he could finish, physically reminding him that they were supposed to be maintaining a good image for PlayStation. If word got out that most of the All Stars just skipped out on something important like this, it would make it seem like they have a lack of respect.

Sweet Tooth scratched his fiery head and continued. "Uhh, sorry, kiddo. They couldn't make it."

"Don't worry, kid," Dante reassured. "You're looking at the best of the best from our team."

Ash nodded and continued. "Well, I was wondering if you guys mind if I tag along? You see, I'm just really eager to get to know everyone and I think a round trip of the universe is a great way to do it!"

"Sure you can come kid." Sweet Tooth said.

"Sweet! This trip is gonna rock," Ash exclaimed with a raised fist in the air.

"Pika!"

"Mmhmm," Sweet Tooth replied. "Just don't expect any candy along the way. I asked if we could make a stop at the Wonka factory. Doc said no, so this trip is already a bust for me."

"Heh, candy is the_ least_ thing I'm worried about. I get _my _rush from the smell of adventure, and the bold taste of new friendships! Right buddy?"

"Pika Pi!"

Kat perked up and ran up to Ash to where their noses were nearly touching. "Ooooh! Does that mean you'll bring Pikachu with you?!"

Ash felt a little awkward and clutched onto Pikachu tighter, not sure what her intentions were with his partner. "Y-yeah. But just don't upset him and he won't shock you anymore."

"Nah, it's worth it. That afro looked kinda hot on you," Dante teased.

Kat poked her tongue out at Dante and swept Pikachu into her arms, twirling around with him in the air. "I's so sowwy I made you mad, Pikachu. You forgive me?" Kat asked as she nuzzled herself against the top of his head.

"Pikaaa…" Pikachu flatly replied, feeling like he didn't really have a choice in the matter. She showered him in more wet kisses and pointed towards the exit of the Castle. "Let's go everyone!"

"Agreed," said Dr. Wright.

Before everyone started to make for the doors, Nariko glanced at Zelda and Link. "Princess Zelda, why don't you and your Knight accompany us as well?"

Zelda smiled, humbled by the request. "A fine idea, but I'm sure we'd be taking up space. And really, 'Zelda' is quite alright."

"Don't be silly," Kapp'n argued. "There's a coupla empty seats that's just beggin' for a bootie to be placed in em'."

Link secured his sword in his sheath and flashed a smirk, signaling he was okay with the idea.

"Very well," she concluded.

"Alright," Ash exclaimed. "LET'S ROCK AND ROLL!"

"PIKA PIKA!"

* * *

After making it out of the castle, everyone loaded into Kapp'n's bus and prepared for their next stop together.

"Seatbelts, me buckos!" Kapp'n shouted. "Smashville be our next stop on the Nintendo tour! Courtesy from our darlins from Animal Crossing!"

Clank looked at the pamphlet he picked up earlier, and studied the section that detailed the stage that Kapp'n was talking about. "Ooooh! Interesting! It says here that Smashville is home to one of the most charming sceneries out of many Nintendo locations."

"YES!" Shouted Ash. "You guys will love it there! Everyone is super friendly! You'll see!"

"If they're any bit as loud as you, I'll have to get myself a pair of earplugs," Daxter mumbled with his fingers in his ears.

Dante chuckled. "Daxter, I don't think anyone can be as annoying as you, even if they were being held gunpoint."

"Enough yappin' back there! Get ready to sail through the warp gate," Kapp'n announced.

Sweet Tooth huffed. "Ughhh. I'm still having flashbacks from that_ last_ warp gate. Definitely gonna have to kill _something _soon before I lose my marbles." Link reached in his pocket and tossed Sweet Tooth a pack of M&M's that he was saving for later, so that the clown wouldn't go on about his psychopathic ways of curing stress. Sweet Tooth caught the candy and struggled not to cry. "I think me and the elf just became best friends."

Kapp'n put the bus in drive and stepped on the gas. He pressed a button on the dash and a warp gate appeared in the distance. "Here we go y'all," he said as he raced towards the portal. In just a few seconds, as they passed through the portal, the beautiful scenery of Hyrule was replaced with flashes of bright lights as the bus transcended through space at unimaginable speed.

*FLASH*

A final flash of numbing light followed by a huge bang signaled that they were in their next destination. Kapp'n was the first out of the group to open his eyes, and upon doing so, he realized something wasn't quite right. Slightly panicking, he felt around for a bus seat or his steering wheel, but instead found nothing but carpet! Kapp'n's panicking was sped up even faster by the sound of Daxter's obnoxious voice.

"Hey! What gives?! Where's that 'charming scenery' that Tin-Can was babbling about a second ago?!"

Dr. Wright wiped his glasses, looked around, and was just as shocked as the driver next to him. As luck would have it, they weren't in Smashville, they were in the Living Room stage somehow! Link elbowed Zelda, gesturing for her to open her eyes and look around at what everyone else was freaking out about.

"Oh my. This isn't good," she murmured.

"Guys, what happened to the bus?!" Ash asked. "How come we aren't on the bus anymore?!"

"It would appear that a malfunction has occurred while we were traveling from one world to the other," Clank theorized.

"DUH! Ya think?! We've shrunk down to bite-size in some dude's house for crying out loud!" Daxter exclaimed.

"He's right," Kat agreed. "You don't think there's rats or cockroaches ready to gobble us up do you?!"

"Actually," Zelda started, "You'd be surprised to know that this room is sometimes used as a battlefield field during tournaments."

"Yeah," Ash commented. "It's a super fun place to battle!"

"Forget about it bein' fun, lad!" Kapp'n replied. "We _ain't_ supposed to be here! We need to get to Joanna and figure out what the heck is goin' on!"

Jak crossed his arms and spoke up. "Well, it looks like we won't be doing that any time soon. Take a look around. We're trapped." Everyone noticed the rows of bars that surrounded the carpet in their vicinity. They seemed to have ended up in a cage that was intended for pets.

Zeus, just as frustrated as everyone else, turned his anger towards Kapp'n and Dr. Wright. "Speak mortals! Explain yourselves! Is this some kind of joke?!"

"Ye wee boot-sniffer!" Kapp'n shot back. "If this be a tale, why do ye think _we're_ just as flabbergasted as ye?! We be all in this pickle together!"

"Foolish creature! You _DARE_ raise your voice against a god?!"

"Everyone shut the hell up for a sec!" Dante shouted. He then pointed toward Dr. Wright. "Doc, you're the smartass of the group. You got any ideas in that big green head of yours?"

Dr. Wright pushed his glasses up and tried to come up with some sort of theory to keep everyone calm. "I… welp, you see… uh, there's… well…" He facepalmed and turned toward Kapp'n. "Has this ever happened before?"

Kapp'n could only shrug. "There ain't ever been a problem with the teleporter on my bus! We had a wee bit o' hiccups with the Portal Room back in them old Melee days, but that was because she was still new. _This_ is something else, me bucko!"

Zelda stepped forward and spoke. "If I may, do you suppose it's because the All Stars are foreigners to our worlds?"

Kat parked next to Zelda and replied. "See, I was thinking the same thing. But, that wouldn't make any sense, because we made it to Hyrule with no trouble."

"I am afraid that we must come up with a plan as quickly as possible," Clank warned as he studied further about the stage from his pamphlet. "It says here that the Living Room stage is also home to animals that will occasionally interfere with ongoing battles. Given our current size, those creatures will pose a severe threat if they decide to greet us."

"Aww, that wouldn't be a problem," Ash casually replied with a wave of his hand. "They're just a buncha cute kittens and puppies. Even if we _did_ get attacked by them, we'd all just… wait, hold on a sec…" Ash paused to think about what he was saying, then looked up at his fellow Smashers to see that they all shared the same concerned look. The Smashers then turned their worried faces over to the All Stars.

"Oh no," Daxter started. "I don't like that look! What's with the look?!"

"You all are hiding something from us," Nariko stated. Though she sounded somewhat calm, everyone could tell through her tone that her frustration was beginning to get the best of her. "Free your tongues. Tell us what has beckoned your silence. Now."

"No, It's not that we're hiding anything-" Zelda began but was cut off by Dr. Wright clearing his throat. She looked at him and he responded by nodding his head.

He turned back towards the All Stars and sighed. "Look, we just don't want you all to panic even further. The situation is, normally, if someone was to… _"Gosh. What's a not-so-bad word for 'die?'"_ Dr. Wright thought for the best possible way to break the news, but Kapp'n decided to say it instead.

"Alright," he started, "I'm gonna cut to the chase. If fate decides to nab one o' ye, there ain't no comin' back. Savvy that? Since none o' ye be registered fighters, ye won't respawn like one o' us can." Kapp'n turned around to his fellow Smashers. "_We_ ain't off the hook either! Look around. Do ye spot a battle goin' on?! No?! Exactly! That means them respawn watchamacallits ain't workin' for us anyway, because they ain't bein' used for this stage right now! There be _no_ point in tryin' to beat around the bush. We need to haul bottom out o' here as fast as possible!"

Sweet Tooth tapped his chin as he thought out loud. "Hmmm. After all we've been through, we end up as a treat for some four-legged brat? Not how I pictured taking my last breath."

"The clown is correct," Zeus stated as he began to speak to everyone. "Where is your confidence? We are capable of much more than this! Postures straight, and heads high! We _will_ be victorious!"

"Piiika!"

The pep talk was interrupted by the sound of metal clanking. Everyone turned to see Jak pushing with all his might to try and pry the cage door open. "Damn. Won't budge."

Dante jogged over to help Jak out. "Here, lemme give you a hand." Both of them tried pushing against the door to no avail.

"How long is it gonna take you blockheads to realize the door is _obviously_ LOCKED?!" Daxter shouted.

Dante let go of the door and huffed. There was no point in wasting his energy.

"Hmph." Link grunted, and everyone looked over toward him to see what caught his attention. He pointed toward a shiny object that was hanging on a dresser not too far from them. It was a key!

"Now we're talking!" Ash jumped up and punched the air.

"Now, we must ponder a strategy to retrieve it," Nariko commented.

"That's easy," Kat responded. She went right up to the bars of the cage and transitioned into her gravity shifting form; Dusty dematerializing into multiple black specs around her body. She drew the key in closer and closer to the cage, until it was just at the entrance to the door. "Ta da!"

"Good goin', me bucko," Kapp'n exclaimed. "We just gotta figure out how to open it from the outside."

"How though?" Dr. Wright asked. "None of us are small enough to squeeze through the bars."

"None of us except…" Nariko trailed off as she turned and smirked at Daxter. Everyone else turned and smiles crept on their faces as well.

Daxter knew he was in deep, so he crossed his arms and looked away. "Nope! Nada! No can do! I am _not_ going out there just to end up as catnip!"

"Do not worry, Daxter," Clank reassured while approaching the ottsel. "I will assist you. I can use my Heli-Pack to give you the altitude needed to reach the lock."

"Well what's gonna happen when Garfield shows up to get his grub?! Those kung-fu moves aren't gonna work on a cat that's quadruple our size!"

Clank remained calm and reassured. "We will be done before any visitors arrive. Let us take advantage of the time we have now."

Daxter sighed, seeing there was no point of continuing an argument. "I guess you're right. Let's get this over with."

The robot and ottsel walked over to the front door where the key lay on the other side, waiting to be used. Clank shifted through the bars relatively easy, despite being inflexible. However, Daxter right behind him was having a bit of trouble because of his slightly larger size.

Clank turned around, grabbed his partner's arm, and pulled with all the might his servos would give. "Almost… there…" he said as Daxter's arm seemed to stretch farther and farther as he pulled. *WHAP* Daxter finally made it through but not before snapping into Clank like a rubber band. Both of them sat up and got their bearings as fast as they could. Daxter grabbed the key, which was heavier than it looked.

"Alright, hoist me up."

Clank activated his Heli-Pack and attached himself to Daxter's back. Though Clank was oversized for Daxter, the method would still do, since it was just a straight shot up to the lock.

"So this is how Ratchet feels with you strapped to him all the time. No wonder he's always so grumpy."

"Jokes can wait until we are safe once again," Clank said, getting irritated. From inside the cage, everyone kept a lookout for any "visitors" that could show up. The Living Room stage was always one of the more laidback places in the Smash tournament. But with their given situation, there was a sense of dread that plagued the back of their minds.

Clank spun his propellers, giving them the altitude needed to reach the keyhole. Daxter tilted the lock as best he could with one hand, and inserted the key with the other hand. His tongue stuck out the side of his mouth while he twisted and jiggled the key back and forth, hoping that by any second now that the lock would give way. Just like he hoped, he heard that satisfying "click" and felt the bottom of the lock release. All that was left now was to get the lock from off the door hinge.

"Clank, angle me forward a little bit, buddy. This lock is pretty heavy and I can't get a good grip on it."

"How about this?" Clank asked, tilting their bodies slightly forward.

"Yeah. Keep me steady just like that."

*RUFF*

Daxter's ears twitched when he heard what he desperately wished was a figment of his imagination. "Clank, _please_ tell me that was you working on your dog impersonations again."

"I am afraid that was not me."

*RUFF* *RUFF*

Everyone watched from inside the cage, and their hearts all dropped when they saw a Chocolate Lab appear from a far off doorway at the front of the house. It was a puppy, make no mistake, but it also appeared to be a towering beast due to their height.

Dante turned back towards the two outside and urged them to finish the job. "DAXTER, HURRY UP!"

"I'm trying, can't ya see?!"

Sweet Tooth ran over, grabbed a hold of the door, and tried shaking it to help the lock loop disconnect from the hinge.

"That's not helping! THAT'S _NOT_ HELPING!" Daxter shouted.

That lab couldn't be happier that he had some new toys to play with! He wagged his tail back and forth and barked a couple of more times, then began making his way over to the cage.

"Be hasteful, young one! The behemoth approaches!" Zeus warned.

Daxter took his legs and wrapped them around the base of the lock for some extra leverage, and pulled with every fiber in his body._ "Come on! Come on!" _Clank also detached himself from Daxter's back and offered support by helping to pull the lock out; leaving them both at the mercy of gravity. Suddenly, he felt a quick change in position as he felt the lock unfasten from the hinge, followed by a solid thud from the lock dropping on the carpet. They both grabbed onto the cage door just in time to avoid falling, and tried pulling it open. Sweet Tooth, with the help of Dante and Jak nearby, pushed the door wide open for everyone to scurry out of the cage before they became a meal.

Clank and Daxter were left hanging onto the top of the door, but they panicked when they saw that the dog had singled them out and was swiftly approaching.

*RUFF*

"HANG IN THERE, DAX!" Jak hollered.

"NOW IS _NOT_ THE TIME FOR YOUR CHEESY PUNS, JAK!"

The gleeful puppy ran up to the cage and put his paws against the front side. His weight caused the door to crash back to a shut against the cage, which almost made Daxter and Clank lose their grip.

"Heavens! Somebody do something!" Dr. Wright shouted.

Daxter got a huge whiff of bad dog breath as the animal sniffed them up and down against the door; most likely to decide if they were worth tasting or not. Zeus ascended in the air, charged his lightning attacks, and shot small bolts down upon the dog. He yelped in pain with each bolt that hit its body, which discouraged it from investigating the scene any further.

"Zeus, don't hurt the poor thing!" Kat shouted.

"Yeah!" Ash agreed while he ran towards the two still hanging on the door.

"Just keep that thing distracted while we get Clank and Daxter!" Jak shouted, running right behind Ash.

The puppy shook off the bolts and leaped at Zeus, who shifted to the right just in time to avoid the attack. Ash and Jak ran back up to the cage to retrieve their allies.

"Jump! I'll catch you!" Ash hollered.

"I got you Dax! Come on!"

Clank jumped and was caught by Ash who dived just in time to sweep the robot in his arms. Daxter let go and landed right on top of Jak's head and the two spared a moment of joy to be reunited with each other.

"_Man_ does it feel good to see your dopey face again!" Daxter joked. "Now let's scram!"

The four of them ran to catch up with the others who were just about halfway across the room. Link was the leader of the crowd and was making his way toward a dresser, which they could use to hide underneath from the puppy. Zeus charged one last bolt, shot it at the lab's tail and made direct contact. He yelped in pain one last time, ran off towards the back of the house, and disappeared up the stairs.

"There! That should discourage that wretched beast from meddling in our affairs any longer."

Zeus flew over and rejoined everyone who was now not too far from the dresser. Link slowed his pace when he looked off into the room adjacent to the dresser, which was the kitchen, and noticed something familiar sticking out.

Zelda, who was running next to him, noticed his shift in attention and averted her eyes to what Link was staring at. "Up ahead, you all!" She called and pointed toward the counter top of the kitchen.

"Is that what I _think_ it is?!" Sweet Tooth asked, pretending to be shocked.

"It appears so," Nariko confirmed. "Forward everyone! Our blessing awaits!"

"Piiika!"

Right on top of the kitchen counter, the back end of the bus could be spotted right next to the coffee maker, and everyone began rushing into the kitchen. Instinctively, everybody whipped their heads back and forth to assess their level of safety. So far, everything was good. Ash fell on his butt, took his hat off and caught his breath.

"Pika Pi?"

"I'm fine buddy. Man, things sure are different here when you aren't battling. I've never seen this part of the stage before."

Kat turned around and stomped her foot at Zeus. "You big bully! You didn't have to_ hurt_ that animal! All we asked is for you to distract it!"

"Be wary of your tone, little girl! Shall I have spared my assistance in exchange for the lives of our comrades?!"

Zelda walked over and stood between the two. "Please. Let's not argue anymore."

"Her Majesty is right," Dr. Wright agreed. "We need to figure out a way up there before that dog or who _knows_ what else comes back."

"How ye reckon we get our booties up there?!" Kapp'n asked.

"We better figure something out quick. Look." Dante pointed behind them toward the doorway of the kitchen that had a tabby poking her head around the corner, waiting patiently for an opportunity to get closer.

The cat's patient glare sent chills down everybody's spine. They knew that in just one quick leap, she could be snacking on them like sardines.

Kapp'n turned to Dr. Wright and grabbed his shirt. "Do something, lad!"

"Why does everyone keep turning to me?! I'm not God! I don't have the answer to all your petty problems, dammit!"

Kat snapped her fingers and pointed toward an empty food bowl that was on the side of the refrigerator. "Guys! In there!"

Clank tilted his head and asked the question that everyone else was thinking. "There? But I don't see h-"

"Just trust me!" She interrupted.

"You heard her command! _Move_!" Nariko shouted.

Everyone burst out into a sprint and rushed over to that bowl as fast as they could. The tabby just watched what appeared to be weird bugs crawling in her territory. Her curiosity was captured but not totally enough to physically investigate. Sweet Tooth jumped in the bowl first, followed by Link and then everyone else. As everyone got settled in the bowl, Kat ran behind them and began lifting the bowl by forming a stasis field around it. She then hopped in the bowl herself, stood in the middle and continued giving everyone an elevator ride to the top of the kitchen counter.

Link kept a close eye on the cat, anticipating the creature to strike at any moment's notice. When the tabby realized what was going on, she leapt at the anomaly before it was out of her reach. In what seemed like just a flash, the cat was in the air and just seconds from colliding with everyone. They were nearly to the top of the counter and just needed a couple of more inches to safely land. However, that cat was able to stretch her arm _just_ enough to clip the edge of the bowl, causing one edge to nearly tip over, and those near the edge close to falling out. Dante grabbed Ash by the shirt before he could fall backward.

"HUWAAA!"

"Easy, kid! Stay with me!"

All their attention turned to a shrill scream that overpowered everyone else's shouts of fear. Zelda was dangerously close to falling out of the bowl and was hanging on to the edge with just one arm! Kat struggled to move faster to reach the top but was getting tired from controlling the combined mass of everybody and the ceramic object beneath them. Zelda's hand slipped off the edge, and she began falling toward the ground. The person closest to her, Link, threw himself forward just in time to catch her by the arm. In the moment, he then noticed a different hand had also latched onto her other arm. He looked to his right and saw Jak struggling to pull her up as well. Jak looked over and the two men shared a glance. Link nodded and they combined their strength and pulled the princess up to safety.

Right on cue, Kat safely landed everyone on the kitchen counter top, now safe from any further danger. Everyone climbed out of the bowl and took a moment to catch their breath, and Ash used the opportunity to bask in their success. "Heh heh, YEAH! We did it! That was awesome!"

"Pikachu!"

Dante crossed his arms and struggled to prevent a smile from creeping across his face. For him, it felt good to have someone else who laughed in the face of danger. "You sound pretty happy for someone who almost died. Wanna go back down there so we can do it all over again?"

Nariko turned to Kat and rested her hand on her sister's shoulder. "Brave thinking, Alua. Our hearts would cease to hold life if it weren't for your selflessness. Thank you."

"Aww, shucks, sis! It was nothin'!"

Link was crouched down, studying Zelda's body to be sure she didn't suffer any injuries from their close call. She perched on her knees, while her hand rested over her heart in an effort to soothe the beating in her chest. She took a few breaths and opened her eyes to see Link looking back at her with his worried look.

"No need to be concerned. I am well. Thank you… _dearly_." She spoke from the bottom of her heart.

After Link nodded and stood up, Zelda then noticed Jak standing off to the side with his back turned toward everybody. Despite his unfriendly demeanor, Zelda rose to her feet and carefully approached him. She let her hand hover in the air, slightly hesitating, before she eventually let it rest on his shoulder.

"I thank you, as well," she nearly whispered.

Instinctively, Jak moved to shove off her hand from his body. Usually, people only did that gesture when they were looking to catch a bolt of plasma from him. When he realized who it was, he backed off, mentally cursing himself for nearly doing something uncalled for. Instead of looking at her, he looked off to the side and crossed his arms, only nodding his head to reply, similarly to Link.

After she was refused a verbal response, she straightened herself and pressed on, growing slightly frustrated at his slack attitude. "It was a needless sacrifice that I-"

"Don't mention it. It's fine." He found the courage to look at her face as he interrupted her. His eyes left hers just as quickly as he stumbled upon them, and he proceeded to walk off towards a different spot in the crowd.

Sweet Tooth looked down at the tabby that was staring at them back while it tossed its tail side to side in a steady motion. "I don't like the way that furry bastard is looking at me…"

"I agree," Dr. Wright concurred while straightening his suit. "Let's get a move on before we're treated to any more surprises."

They all silently agreed by making their way towards the bus, which was a sight for sore eyes. It had only been a few minutes, but it felt like they'd been separated from the automobile for hours. Kapp'n rushed up and tackled the front end of his bus in a hug. The poor old man couldn't wait to be reunited with his baby!

"Oh! Joanna! Me darlin'! Me precious!" He proceeded to shower the hood of the vehicle in his sloppy wet kisses, running his arms up and down the frame like a person making snow-angels.

Daxter visibly showed his disgust by making gag faces. "Hey, can we _please_ keep this T-rated?"

Everyone climbed aboard, taking their seats and looking up ahead while Kapp'n turned the key in the ignition. *VROOM* "Would ye listen to that purr! Whoowee! I reckon me darlin's missed us just as much as we've missed her!"

Dr. Wright fiddled with the teleportation drive on the dash while Kapp'n revved the engine. "Blasted machine! It had better not malfunction again!" He twisted the dial to a certain set of coordinates, which he had memorized to be the location of Smashville. He then pressed the big red button on the dash to open the portal, one hundred percent confident that they should be in Smashville next time. However, after pressing the button, he was dumbfounded to find that the darn thing did absolutely nothing! "NO!"

"What now?!" Kapp'n shouted.

"I...err…eh-"

"Spit it out, lad! What be the matter?!"

"The damned button isn't working! Why is this happening to us?!"

Just then, an ear-piercing scratching could be heard, followed by the cat's meowing from down on the floor. Eyes darted back and forth, and sweat began dripping down foreheads. No one knew what the tabby was up to, but they also didn't want to stick around to find out.

"It's okay!" Daxter assured. "A cat can't eat a whole bus! ...can it?"

"It can if it's the size of a Snickers bar," Sweet Tooth argued. "Speaking of which…" he leaned over to the seat in front of him and questioned Link. "You wouldn't happen to have one on you, would you?"

In a panic, Dr. Wright did what everyone does when technology doesn't want to cooperate with a specific request… smash, smash, and smash some more! He took his fist and banged quickly and as hard as he could as a last ditch effort to get the teleportation drive going again.

"Please, Doctor," Clank spoke up. "Careless decisions will not help us reach our goal any faster."

Just as he spoke though, a portal on the far side of the counter opened up, catching everyone by surprise. "Wow, good goin', Doc!" Daxter, congratulated.

"A primitive way of a solving a problem, eh, but one that's known to work without a doubt!" Dr. Wright pushed up his sweaty glasses for the millionth time, and commanded Kapp'n to bolt. "On the pedal you old whiff!"

Kapp'n did as he was told and mashed his foot down on the throttle. From the sudden hit of torque, the bus ripped out a burnout that even Dominic Toretto would be proud of, and sped toward the other end of the counter for an escape. Though, everyone shouldn't have expected it to be too easy, because right when things were looking hopeful for the last time, the tabby jumped onto the linoleum topped counter right in front of the portal. Kapp'n skidded the bus to a stop as his breath caught in his throat. The cat opened her mouth to communicate with everyone by showing her teeth, and giving a menacing hiss. From inside the bus, the verbal warning sounded like a rumble of thunder, and everyone prepared for the worst.

"Shit," Dante breathed out as he perched his chin on his knuckles.

"What do we do?!" Kapp'n shrieked. "Ye can't just drive _through_ a cat!"

"Then we must fight," boomed Zeus. "To arms everyone!"

The tabby taunted them by slowly inching closer, giving a brief hiss with each step she took. Just then, Kat panicked as Dusty suddenly leapt from her arms and through an open window.

"Whuh?! Dusty?!" Kat whipped her head out of the window and saw Dusty running toward the bigger cat!

"The hell is he doing?!" Jak shouted.

"I don't know! I don't know what's gotten into him!"

Everyone watched as Dusty's sprinting slowly transitioned into a walk, then eventually to a sitting position in front of the tabby.

"Dusty! Get back in the bus!" Kat begged.

"Pika!" Pikachu waved his arms out of the window, hoping that Dusty would think twice about what he was doing.

The animal hissed once again, but didn't seem to phase Dusty. Dusty then stood on all fours with his tail high, and gave a frightening hiss of his own. The tabby seemed somewhat surprised, even going as far as to stumble on its stance a little bit. It lowered its tail and began backing up. Dusty raised the back end of his body and hissed one last time, and that's what did the trick. The tabby scurried as fast as she could off the counter, leaving a quick opening for escape.

Dusty ran and re-materialized into Kat's lap, and she embraced her Guardian with a hug. Kapp'n didn't need to be shouted at by anybody to know that it was time to haul it. He mashed the pedal once again, and all the surroundings became a blur as the crew sped toward the portal with no signs of slowing down for _anything_ this time.

* * *

*FLASH*

The tension was almost as thick as the air in the new location everyone found themselves in. Desperately hoping to be in the correct destination this time, they all opened their eyes one by one, only to be disappointed yet again. Everyone looked out into a vast, unforgiving, playground of ice that seemed to stretch on with painful repetition. To make matters worse, they found themselves missing from the bus _again_. If what their eyes were telling them was not enough, the brutal chill that slapped them in the face like a wet sock, really set it in for them. Whether they liked it or not, their current tourist stop was the Summit stage.

Sweet Tooth's knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists in rage. "This is starting to make me angry."

Dr. Wright fell to his knees and his breath came out as jagged as the edged mountains that surrounded them. "_What_ have we done to deserve this?"

Kapp'n rushed over and grabbed the doctor by the collar of his blazer. "Are ye _SURE_ that ye put in the right coordinates on me map?!"

"Why WOULDN'T I, you old coot?! What could I POSSIBLY gain by trapping all of us, INCLUDING _MYSELF, _at the Summit of all places?! Tell me! I would LOVE to know!"

"Insolent fools!" Zeus insulted. "As I predicted, you fail to calculate the weight of your sorcery! You fail to master your own _pitiful_ contraption!"

"As long as trans-dimensional hiccups continue to occur, we may never reach our intended destination," Clank stated, starting to feel a little hopeless.

"Let's all remain calm," Zelda reassured. "The Summit is a relatively safe place. There are no battles going on, so we should be safe from any avalanches."

"AVALANCHES?!" Daxter shouted.

"Correct," Clank said while preparing himself to read off of his pamphlet again. He drug his metallic finger across the page as he translated the info that was provided from the brochure. "It appears that the active feature for this particular stage is that dynamic transformation will occur from frequent shockwaves as a byproduct of intense combat."

Drool seeped out of Daxter's mouth as he tried to comprehend Clank's nerd talk. "Uhh… Tin Can… WE SPEAK _ENGLISH_! Not dorkonomics!"

"He's saying that the harder you rumble, the more likely the stage will rumble too. Right?" Kat commented. "If we weren't trapped here, I bet this stage would be fantastic to battle on!"

"So it seems like our main danger here is the weather," Dante pointed out.

"Yeah, how cold is it?" Daxter asked. "Forty below 'freezing my ass off'?"

"Actually," Clank started, "the precise temperature is-"

"NO ONE _CARES_!" Daxter interrupted. "You don't have to give us a science lesson every time you point something out!"

Kapp'n clapped his hands together, signaling for everyone to turn their attention toward him. "I reckon ye all forgot about one wee little thing... THE BUS! We ain't droppin' anchor anywhere if we don't find her!"

"Are you even listening to yourself right now," questioned Dr. Wright. "Do you expect us to scour this entire landscape for that damn thing?! Furthermore, what's the point of using the bus when we might end up somewhere even worse than this or the stage we were at before?"

The sound of boots crunching in the snow distracted everybody from their freak outs. Everyone turned to see Link making his way from the group, swinging his arms in a circular motion as he trudged the land.

"I don't know," Jak answered. "But _anything_ beats being stranded out in a place like this. I'm following _him_."

Dr. Wright pushed up his glasses and concurred. "Yes. Let's walk to keep our blood flowing."

Mentally, they all agreed that moving their bodies was the best thing they could do for each other right now.

Clank ran multiple scenarios in his mind to figure out what would be the best course of action for the group. Doubtful thoughts began seeping through their minds with every step they took on the crunchy snow. Some, like Link, refused to believe that they wouldn't get out of the crappy situation they found themselves in. For others, it was hard to stay hopeful, especially with the freezing temperature beating down on them. Nariko held her shoulders while she shivered in her traditional outfit, which covered little to nothing. Dante, who was walking behind her, noticed her discomfort and took off his coat. He held it out for her to take but she ignored him.

Dante huffed. "Look, you're freezing and an inch away from naked. You need it more than I do." He brought the clothing closer to her, pretty much shoving it against her body. Though she wouldn't admit it, the warmness from the article felt amazing. But Dante and Nariko never got along, even after years of knowing each other, and she sure wasn't in the mood to entertain who she found to be the most annoying person she ever met.

"Worry about yourself," her tone had a bite to it that drew the attention from everyone else.

Dante insisted. "Take the_ fucking_ jacket."

Up ahead, Zelda stopped in her tracks, signaling for everybody to pause and turn their attention toward her. She turned around to reveal a massive wave of frustration that took over her normally gentle composure.

"Enough! _ENOUGH_! I have HAD it with all of you not getting along!"

Dr. Wright immediately scampered over and knelt down by her side. "F-F-Forgive us, your Maj-"

"Oh, stop being such a suck-up," she spat out with a wave of her hand before he could even finish. "You all are quite possibly the most bitter band of warriors I have yet to meet! How shall you hope to achieve _anything_ if you are constantly bickering with one another!?"

"Geez. Remind me not to piss _her_ off," Daxter mumbled into Jak's ear.

It had been a long time since Link heard the Princess raise her tone to such extremes. It was evident from the cracks in her voice as she shouted, that she had not been used to yelling, and everyone felt remorse for the way things were being handled. Link walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, reassuring her that everything was okay. Looking into his soothing eyes, she began to calm herself. She took her hands and placed them on her chest and gave a long exhale.

"Forgive me. But we _must_ have unity in these times. We cannot afford to be at each other's throats at a moment like this."

Behind her, a rumble could be heard from the top of a hill that wasn't too far in the distance. A cluster of ice and snow accompanied the rumble by falling down the slope, and revealing a familiar object that nearly blew everyone's minds. Peeking out from the top of the hill was the roof of the bus!

"Joanna!" Kapp'n cried in excitement.

Clank facepalmed, pondering the unlikely odds that they've been spoiled with. "At this point, it would appear that we are a part of some sort of twisted fantasy."

Kapp'n took off with Sweet Tooth right on his trails. The clown was desperate for relief from the cold weather like everyone else, especially since he didn't even have a shirt to cover his big hairy belly. Kapp'n and Sweet Tooth vigorously shoved snow off the bus to free it from its frozen prison that it had randomly been given. To speed things up, Sweet Tooth used his fire breath to melt the ice around the doors and engine bay. After a little while, Kapp'n was able to enter the cabin of the bus and turn it on so that the heater would be nice and toasty whenever everybody made it on board. One by one, everybody began traversing the steep slope so that they could get to the top as well. From the top, Kat sat perched on the roof of the bus, looking at the remainder of people that were making their way up the hill. With concern, she stared at Ash who was struggling to keep his footing.

"Oh, be careful, Ash!" However, just as the words left her mouth, Ash was almost to the top of the hill when he completely lost all traction from his shoes.

"WAUUGHHH!"

He found himself suspended in the air for a few seconds, until he came brutally crashing down on the hill, tumbling backwards down to the bottom. Pikachu ran right next to him as he continued rolling over. The impact from where he hit the ground caused a massive crack to form in between the distance from the bottom of the slope to the top where the bus was. *CRACK* *BOOM* Nariko stopped Ash's tumbling by letting him collide with the shin of her leg, and she sat him up and began dusting the snow off of him along with Pikachu's help. She paused what she was doing when she felt a shift in the ground, followed by another startling crack from the ice.

Kapp'n took notice of what was going on, and fully started the bus hoping to drive away before the mountain fully collapsed. But it was hopeless, because the second he put the gear in reverse, everyone inside was shunted to the right by a hunk of ice colliding with the bus. Kapp'n flew out of his seat, and everyone in the back struggled to get to their feet. Outside, the remainder of people were running as fast as they could to get up the slope before the mountain snapped in half. All together, Ash, Daxter, Nariko, Jak, and Dr. Wright made it just in time as the slope folded down at an obtuse angle.

"Can I say it?! Can I say it?!" Daxter pestered as he held onto Jak's shoulders.

"Go head, Dax!"

At the top of his lungs, Daxter turned his head to the sky and screamed, "'AVALAAAAAAAANCHE!"

From the top of the mountain, the bus and all its occupants were launched into the air by the sudden snap of ice as the mountain began to disintegrate. While in the air, Kapp'n shoved himself back into the driver seat, and prepared for when the bus would hit the ground again. With a bone-shattering thud, they landed back on four wheels, and Kapp'n kept accelerating, because right behind them, the remains of the mountain chased them down as one huge cluster of ice, snow, and death. Somewhere in the midst of that white cloud of chaos was the rest of the Smashers and All Stars, struggling not to get swallowed up by the avalanche.

Jak and Daxter found themselves making use of a chunk of ice that had a curious shape which resembled the Jet-Board. The two partners smiled and nodded at each other. Jak hopped onto the chunk of ice, and began making use of it by surfing his way through the blizzard. He noticed Dr. Wright hopping from boulder to boulder to keep from getting swallowed up by the storm.

"We're comin', Doc!" Jak hollered. He carved his way over to Dr. Wright, and once he was close enough, held out his hand. "Grab on!"

Dr. Wright was close to jumping until a huge ball of snow landed between the two men, showering them both in the substance. From the icy explosion, a flurry of snow flew into Jak's eyes and mouth, making him temporarily lose his focus. Jak violently coughed up the residue and worked as fast as he could to remove the snow from his eyes so that he could regain sight. Daxter tried helping by slapping his sideckick as hard as he could in the back.

*THWACK* "This if for all those times you walked in on me and Tess!" *THWAP* "No matter _what_ you say, I _know_ it was on purpose!"

Jak coughed up the rest of the snow in his throat, and Daxter steered them away from boulders that jutted out of the ground by grabbing onto Jak's hair and pulling the direction that was safe from danger. Dr. Wright gasped when he saw a rather tall and sharp boulder they was quickly approaching, and he wasn't sure if he would have time to dodge it. Jak finally was able to open his eyes again just in time to see the upcoming danger. Once again, he reached his arm out and urged for Dr. Wright to jump. He obeyed and launched himself over to the snow-surfing duo. Successfully, Jak caught Dr. Wright, and held him in a fireman's carry as he surfed away.

Nariko was the closest to being sucked into the cold abyss that tailed her. Behind her, the avalanche roared relentlessly in her ears like a pack of lions. She kept up her pace by using her swords to slash away at the large rocks and ice that got in her way, but even with the aid of her reckless determination, she was still barely making it. Out of nowhere, a large polar bear with sunglasses and pink shorts descended from the sky, and landed in her area. Sliding on his back like an upside-down penguin, he steered over to her side and patted his belly like a bass drum, urging for the woman to hop on. She consented, jumped, and grabbed on tight to the animal that might've just saved her life. Immediately, the bear accelerated and swerved over to Ash, who was balancing himself on top of a huge, rolling ball of snow like some sort of circus act.

"Piiiikaaa!" Pikachu called for help, since Ash couldn't afford to lose his concentration for even a second.

"Boy!" Nariko called. Ash managed to glance at them out of his peripheral vision. "Come before you perish!"

It took every brave bone in Ash's body to trust them, and leap over to the bear that was a miracle worker among a disaster. He landed behind Nariko, and held on tight to her waist as the polar bear now sped off toward the bus. Nariko looked to her left and noticed Jak, Dr. Wright, and Daxter swiftly dodging danger and catching up to Kapp'n's bus as well. She grinned, relieved to know that her companions were also doing okay. From the back window, Zelda watched as everyone outside struggled to catch up, while also struggling to stay alive. Inside the bus, everyone was violently thrown from one side to the other as Kapp'n swerved in and out of the way of incoming obstacles. Even though it was freezing, sweat began to drench Kapp'n's face as he fought to keep his passengers alive.

There was something about the stage that he wished he hadn't remembered, and he refused to remind anybody else in order to keep them as calm as possible. However, something snapped in Zelda's mind as she also remembered what Kapp'n refused to acknowledge. A vast ocean surrounds the end of Summit's mountain, and if they didn't figure out something fast, their intense struggle for survival would be all for nothing.

"Oh my! KAPP'N!" Her voice was shaking with fear. She struggled to reach the front of the bus to get the driver's attention, but was unable to do so as long as she kept being rocked back and forth by the rugged terrain. A flash of shock swept across Link's face as he also remembered what awaited them at the end of the mountain. He looked toward the front out the windshield, and saw the blanket of water that sat patiently waiting for them.

"KAPP'N!" Link shouted.

"I KNOW! I KNOW!" Kapp'n knew, but he didn't have a plan to figure out what to do.

"THE WARP GATE!" Link shouted once again, speaking more in this moment than he had in the past couple of days. Kapp'n nodded, forgetting that that was also an option. They could risk ending up somewhere bad again. But was anything worse than a salty grave at the bottom of the ocean? Kapp'n reached out to push the button, but the second he let go of the wheel, the bus collided with a huge patch of snow that sent the automobile careening onto its side. Everyone screamed as they were tossed like ragdolls to the side of the bus. The windows, which previously had showcased the beauty of the Northern Lights, were now masked by the unforgiving ground that the bus now slid on.

Jak and Nariko both looked from the back at the disaster, feeling helpless to the predicament. In just a few seconds, they would all be drowned unless something was done. He looked to his left and watched the polar bear grab his passengers and throw them onto the bus, where they landed on top of the windows that were pointing toward the sky. Nariko immediately pried open one of the windows to shout for somebody to push the button on the machine. The bus met another boulder that was sticking out of the ground, and the impact sent Link toppling toward the front, where his back crashed full speed into the dash.

Again, another miracle was provided somehow, and a warp gate materialized mere inches in front of the ocean that beckoned its prey. Everyone screamed one last time and shut their eyes as they believed they would meet their frozen fate in just seconds...

Everything became black. The screaming continued. It continued even longer until it gradually began fading away to silence when people began opening their eyes. Surrounding them, was a space filled with flashing lights of all sorts of colors. Kapp'n recognized it. It was what one would see as they traveled between worlds by use of the warp gate. With happiness and relief exploding in his soul, he opened his mouth to shout praises until another wave of light consumed them all.

* * *

*FLASH*

Everyone felt a solid thud that confirmed that the bus was now back on its four wheels. That was one plus. Commotion could be heard outside, meaning there was people around. Another plus. Listening closer, it sounded like a crowd, and high-pitched engines zoomed to and fro in the distance. Finally opening their eyes, everyone was not only relieved to FINALLY be together on the bus again, but was also glad to be in a world that had no danger. Looking around, they found themselves in the middle of a Mario Kart race on the Figure 8 Circuit.

The contestants, as well as the crowds, were shocked to find a random bus landing right in the midst of the action from seemingly nowhere; simply sitting idle on the road. Kapp'n turned toward the back of the bus and raised his fists in the air. He wasn't surprised to see everybody still recovering from the nightmare of the last location they were in. They were lucky to be alive. Everybody was still breathing hard and checking themselves for any severe injuries.

Even so, Kapp'n still smiled and murmured to himself, "...we did it… we made it, lads."

Everyone was contempt… except for one person.

Sweet Tooth stood up from the back and bellowed in rage. "THAT_ DOES_ IT! NOW, I'M _REALLY_ ANGRY!" He stomped toward the front of the bus while everyone watched in shock at his sudden outburst.

"What the hell are you talking about," Dante asked as he wiped blood off the back of his head.

"We almost died HOW many times now?! And we're STILL not even where we're supposed to be! This Nintendo gig sucks! And I've got to blow off some steam before I slaughter every last one of you in here!" Kapp'n looked in fear as the clown approached him. "And what better way to blow off that steam, than a good ol' fashioned death race!? GIMME THE WHEEL!"

Sweet Tooth grabbed Kapp'n and threw him to the side. He plopped himself into the driver seat and turned the bus on, letting the engine awaken to life. Dante stood up, having enough of Sweet Tooth's temper tantrum. He was often the one to keep the murderous psycho under control, since no one else had the patience. Before he could make his way up to the front, Sweet Tooth stomped on the gas, sending Dante tumbling backwards and falling on his back. Unfortunately, that gash on the back of his head was probably even deeper now.

"Calm yourself, fool!" Nariko commanded.

"There is no need for this behavior!" Clank pleaded. "We are in a safe world again."

"NO ONE is safe until _I_ say so!"

Once the clown snapped, there was no calming him down until he had his fill. Joining the race, Sweet Tooth approached a Shy Guy in his kart and rammed him off the road, sending the innocent contestant flying off in a cloud of smoke. He laughed maniacally, but he wasn't satisfied just yet. He took out his shotgun and stuck it out of the window. He sped up to the next unsuspecting car and blew the tires off the vehicle, sending it into a spasm of flips as it careened into the nearby guard rail.

"MUAHAHAHAH!"

From the bleachers, everyone looked in horror at that mysterious yellow bus that turned a family-friendly kart race into an unexpected fest of violence. Once authorities were aware of what was going on, they began escorting people out of the stadium; doing their best to keep the panic under control.

Daxter launched himself to the front and jumped onto Sweet Tooth's face, slapping him back and forth as he tried to bring what little sense the clown had back to life. "Snap outta it! This isn't one of ya stupid competitions!"

Sweet Tooth slammed his head onto the steering wheel, using Daxter's back as a cushion for the blow. He fell to the floor beside Sweet Tooth's boots, barely conscious from the brutal impact.

"Owwww…"

"It's _always_ a competition! Now, it's time to TURN UP THE HEAT!"

Joanna ran harder than she ever had before, thanks to Sweet Tooth's leadfoot. The bus began approaching a cluster of contestants up ahead, and Sweet Tooth saw a golden opportunity for the use of ballistics. He reached out towards the dash, and began pushing all of the buttons, hoping for something violent to happen. Gatling guns, laser guns, battle axes… he didn't care _what_ it was, as long as it caused pain. To his disappointment, nothing was working. Everything from the lights, to the windshield wipers turned on, but nothing exciting was piquing his interest. He took his focus off the road and noticed a big, shiny, red button on the dash that looked promising.

"What's _this_ button do?! Missiles I hope!"

Kapp'n opened his eyes to see Sweet Tooth's finger hovering above the button to open the warp gate. His heart dropped.

"NO! DON'T PRESS THAT BUTTON!"

"Too late! MUHAHAHAHA!"

Sweet Tooth sent his hand crashing into that button, hoping for a flurry of explosions to obliterate his victims up ahead. But to his disappointment, a large warp gate appeared in front of them and his heart sunk as well, knowing that his rampage was quickly coming to a close. Everyone in the crowds, as well as the contestants recovering from their accidents, watched as the bus disappeared into a similar void that it came from not too long ago.

A Few Minutes Later at Master Hand's House

Luigi sprinted through the doors to Master Hand's private suite, and made a beeline down the grand hall. After him and his brother were informed about the incident at the Figure 8 Circuit, they knew that they had to be quick to respond so that citizens wouldn't freak out. While Luigi would inform the hand on the situation, Mario would tend to the frantic crowds at the circuit, who were shook from the unexpected surprise finale given by Sweet Tooth.

Master Hand was startled when he heard the door to his 'quiet room' fly open. He was in the middle of his private time where he would indulge in one of his favorite hobbies, which was the piano. Unfortunately for Luigi, he was in also in the process of playing his favorite piece. Clair de Lune, to be exact.

Master Hand shuffled away from his instrument, accidentally knocking it over as he tried to maintain his calm demeanor. "Luigi?! There better be a sound excuse for you barging in unannounced!"

"Eep! I'm so sorry, but I had to tell you as soon as I could!"

"Tell me what?! What is the matter?!"

* * *

Luigi told Master Hand everything. Apparently, a group of hikers climbing Icicle Mountain saw everything that happened at Summit. And then, there was the rampage at the Mario Kart race for the day. With the two reported incidents, the trip for the All Stars was swiftly transformed into a tour through hell. Master Hand and Luigi were now in the lab, where the former would monitor all types of things involved in the world of Nintendo, and specifically his Smash mansion. He took a look at the recorded warp gates that had been opened in the past five hours, and noticed some strange factors that raised his concern.

"Hmm, the issue would appear to be the dimensional tunnels that connect all our worlds to one another. For lack of a better phrase, it's 'all out of whack.' Whatever the anomaly is, it _also_ makes that specific location immune to any safety precautions I have put forth for the sake of the Smash competition."

"Okay..." Luigi said while scratching the back of his head. "Can you tell where they are now?"

Master Hand hummed in confirmation. He pulled up a separate diagnostic, which provided him info on the last warp gate that occurred mere minutes ago. His concern shot through the roof when he read the name of where the Smashers and All Stars ended up. He turned to Luigi, and even though Master Hand didn't have a face, it was clear as day that panic had overridden him.

"Luigi... we _must_ hurry."

* * *

Meanwhile, Somewhere Far Away

A man, vile and immoral as they came, tapped a finger on his chin while he pondered life and death. Sunk into his throne, he let the thunder from the storm outside massage his weary ears that were exhausted from the terrible cries of his victims. His complexion sported sharp edges, and his flowing hair acted like a endless fountain of silver. A flash of light dressed the outside of his home. Raising an eyebrow, he turned his head to the right and gazed out into the murky, empty landscape that hid behind the window. Whatever that flash was, it wasn't the lightning that infested the sky. It was something else.

It was visitors. _Unexpected_ visitors.

He could smell them, as well as another presence that was usually absent when his abode was used as fighting grounds. It was fear. Chuckling lightly, he realized he had just been blessed with an opportunity that he could simply _not_ afford to pass up.

Dracula smiled as he ran his cold hands against one another.

"Let us prepare for a feast."


End file.
